Darkness Falls
by DaisyJanee
Summary: How different would the story of Harry Potter be if Draco Malfoy had been a secret friend, all those years at Hogwarts, to Hermione Granger?
1. One

_ 1st September 1991 _

Hermione Granger, 11 years of age soon to be 12, was the first to arrive at platform 9 and 3/4, eager to board the train and start her new adventure.

Hermione had received her letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just 3 weeks before and it was the start of a completely new life. For witches and wizards born into a magical family, it was normal to receive a letter inviting them to attend a school of magic. These families prepared for that day from the moment the children could walk and talk. Non magic families are different; they cannot prepare for the unknown, not fully. Children born into these kinds of families are not aware of their abilities. They may experience a few unexplainable situations throughout their childhood but nothing to confirm it; not until they receive their letters which gives them roughly three weeks to prepare for a whole new world. It can be both daunting and exciting, which was the situation in Hermione's case as she was Muggle born.

When she received her letter inviting her to start school on September the 1st, she couldn't believe it. Once it had finally sunk in, the excitement soon followed. Hermione had purchased every book both on and off her list that she could possibly need and read them all before the 3 weeks were up. There wasn't a chance she was going to arrive at a new school only half prepared, she had years of history to catch up on. Hermione sat beside her parents, waiting for the train to pull into the station. Her suitcase was at the ready and her pet of choice, a small ginger kitten that she'd named Crookshanks, was curled up sound asleep in his cage.

The roaring sound of the Hogwarts Express releasing steam as it chugged into the station caused Hermione to nearly stop breathing. She turned to her mum, wide eyed and pale as the realisation that she was soon going to have to leave them dawned on her, it was such a bitter sweet.

"You'll be fine sweetheart. You've prepared yourself for this, it's exciting! You're going to have so much fun!" Mrs. Granger said to her daughter with a smile on her face.

Hermione stood to give her mum a hug goodbye before turning to her dad who was slightly less enthusiastic about this new adventure Hermione was about to take off on. Still proud of his daughter nevertheless, "We will write to you every day if need be, study hard and enjoy yourself," he said with one final squeeze before he finally let her go.

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, stepping back to grab her suitcase. With one last sigh, Hermione grabbed the handle on her case and made her way to the train, waving to her parents before she went to find a carriage. An advantage of being early meant that she got the pick of her seat. Most, if not all, were still empty as she made her way into one towards the front of the train. Hermione sat at the window with Crookshanks still sleeping under the foot well and took a book out of her suitcase before putting it in the overhead, waiting patiently for someone to join her in the carriage. After around 20 minutes the train started to get busier. More and more students were outside saying their goodbyes to family members and finding their carriages. Hermione was so engrossed in rereading Hogwarts: A History that she hadn't realised two people had joined her carriage, or how long they had been there.

"I heard that the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons which takes you under the black lake," one of the boys said.

"I heard it's in the forbidden forest and you can see all of the creatures at night peering in through the window," the other said.

"Don't be stupid Blaise. The Dark Forest is nowhere near the castle," the first boy responded, after which he noticed Hermione was peering over her book. "So, you finally noticed we are here then," he said to Hermione.

"I'm sorry, I was in a world of my own," she said while blushing and closing her book.

The boy smirked in return, "Figured as much. That's Blaise and I'm Draco, Malfoy." Draco introduced them both to her and held out his hand for her to shake, something told her about the way he said his last night, that she was supposed to know who he was.

She obliged and shook his hand, smiling at them both, "I'm Hermione." Blaise shook her hand but eyed her skeptically and didn't say anything.

"We were just talking about what the Slytherin common room probably going to look like. What do you think?" Draco asked, curiosity lit up his face as he waited to hear Hermione's theory.

"I hadn't really given it much thought if I'm honest. I tried not to get too attached to any particular house in case I didn't get sorted into it."

"You have a say in what house you are sorted into. We aren't supposed to know that but my father said that if you really don't want to be in the house the hat thinks you should be in, you won't be forced into it. You just think about the one you do want, and it listens. Can you imagine being sorted into Hufflepuff?" He shuddered as he said this, Blaise laughing quietly alongside him.

Hermione gave a small smile, although she didn't agree, she didn't know what house she wanted to be in. But she was going to leave the decision down the the hat either way. "There isn't a single Malfoy that wasn't in Slytherin so it's a done deal really. The same goes for Blaise too,"

Hermione nodded, listening to Draco whilst Blaise continued to watch her suspiciously. "Are there really ghosts that roam the castle?" Hermione asked Draco, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Of course there are. Haven't you ever seen a ghost before?"

Hermione shook her head and it finally dawned on her that there was a whole world she didn't know about that, in less than a few hours, she would officially be apart of.

"What did you say your name was again?" Draco asked her. In that moment the door for the carriage slid open and a small round boy stood in the entrance way. Both Draco and Blaise turned their nose up at the boy and watched as he stood panting in the doorway.

"Has anybody seen a toad? I've lost mine," the boy breathed.

Hermione shook her head as Draco and Blaise sniggered at him and turned away like he didn't exist.

"I will help you to find it if you like?" Hermione offered the boy, his face lit up in response. As Hermione got up to leave the carriage Draco stood up with her.

"Are you coming back?" He asked her.

She nodded with a puzzled expression, leaving the carriage as he slowly sat back down.

"What was that about?" Blaise asked Draco as the carriage door closed.

"What d'you mean? Nothing," Draco responses defensively.

Blaise smirked and took advantage of the embarrassment Draco was feeling, "Does someone have a crush already?" Draco hit Blaise in the arm and picked up Hermione's book, "She's a little odd don't you think? And she didn't say her last name, which means she's probably a Half-blood," Blaise said.

Draco ignored him and skimmed over the book. Hermione had made notes on all of the pages, she'd clearly studied this book before starting school. Maybe Blaise was right.

Hermione went down from carriage to carriage asking everyone about the missing toad which nobody had seen. She was beginning to get fed up when she opened the door to a carriage that had two boys still dressed in their own clothes; not like the ones back in her carriage who were already in their school robes. One of the boys held his wand in his hand whilst a rat lay sprawled out across his lap, with its head head rummaging around in a box of sweets. He looked up once he noticed Hermione standing at the door.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost his," she asked while looking around the room at the mountains of sweets, her eyes landing back on the red haired boy's wand, "Oh, you're doing magic? Let's see then," she asked.

The boy cleared his throat and held his wand high, "Sunshine daisies, butter mellow.. Turn this stupid fat rat yellow," he flicked his wand and a yellow light shone inside the sweet box but nothing further happened. Confusion swept over his face as he looked at the other boy beside him.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?' said Hermione, "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and its all worked for me. For example." She cleared her throat and positioned herself in front of the boy with glasses. "Oculus reparo," she spoke clearly and flicked her wand. A quick spark of grey smoke shot out of the end and within a second, his glasses were fixed and clean, like new. "Holy cricket, you're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?" She asked the boy who still held his wand above his rat.

"Ron Weasley."

"Pleasure," she smiled at him and stood up to leave, "You two should get into your robes, I should expect we will be arriving soon." With that she left and headed back to her own carriage, something about Harry and Ron made her slightly more comfortable than Blaise and Draco, after only spending a few short minutes with them. Even if Ron did have dirt on his face without realising.

As Hermione entered her carriage she noticed Blaise was sleeping and Draco had his head buried deep in her book. He hadn't noticed her walking back in and sitting down when she spoke, "Now who's in a world of their own?" She asked Draco.

He jumped at the sound of her voice and closed the book, "Sorry. I got bored and the notes are quite interesting. Did you make them all yourself?" he asked whilst passing the book back to her.

Hermione nodded as she took it off him, "I like to read. Sometimes I have thoughts or ideas about something I've read and I don't want to forget them so I write them down. Plus I like the idea of my future children being able to read what I was thinking whilst I was on that particular page," She said.

"I like to read too. We have a huge library in the manor, it's probably my favourite room. It's got hundreds of books, thousands even. What's your favourite book?" Draco hadn't realised that he had probably asked Hermione the most difficult question she could ever imagine to answer.

"That's not an easy question to answer, I don't feel like I've found my favourite book yet."

"Well I have plenty of recommendations if ever you need any," as Draco finished his sentence, the train came to a halt at the Hogsmeade station for students arriving at Hogwarts.

Hermione was immediately filled with worry and excitement. She had only ever seen photos of Hogwarts but now she would be seeing it for real. Draco woke Blaise by hitting him in the stomach causing him to wake with a scowl. Hermione shook her head as he did it and grabbed her suitcase ready to head out onto the platform. The first years took an enchanted boat ride to the castle which showed the land at its best angle, Hermione thought it looked magnificent. She sat in a boat along with the boy named Neville who she met on the train and another who from, what she could gather, was Irish as he spoke about the creatures that were in the lake beneath them.

As they all arrived at the castle they were accompanied up a set of stairs where they waited outside a set of large doors. Everyone excitedly talking amongst themselves about what may be on the other side.

"So it's true then," Draco's voice quietened down the group of students as people turned to see him clearer. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

"Harry Potter is here?" One student whispered.

"I heard he had a scar across his face," Another whispered, all the while Draco was moving to the front of the group to stand in front of Harry.

"This is Crabbe, and Goyle," he gestured to the two boys he had been stood next to, "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," Hermione heard him introduce himself once more, his name still not ringing any bells to her ad it was clear to see from the expression Harry wore, he too was none the wiser. As he introduced himself Ron who stood beside Harry made a small chocking sound followedd by an eye roll, just loud enough for Draco to hear. "Do you think my names funny? There's no need to ask yours, red hair and hand-me-down robes, you must be a _Weasley._" Draco hissed and turned his attention back to Harry, "You'll soon learn that some Wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there," He held out his hand for Harry to shake.

Ron's cheeks flushed as he glared after Draco's, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself Thanks," Harry responded.

In that moment a tall slim woman, wearing a dark emerald green dress appeared and tapped Draco on the shoulder, he glanced around to see who it was and moved back to his original place in the group but not before scowling at Harry as he did.

"My names Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. I shall take you through now," McGonagall finished and lead the group of students through the double doors and into the great hall.

As the students walked through the hall towards the front, all of their faces lit up as they looked around at all of the enchantments. The ceiling looked like the night sky as floating candles surrounded the room.

"It's not real you know. It's made to look like the night sky, I read about it in-" Hermione started to tell a girl next to her when she heard someone finish her sentence,

"_Hogwarts: A History _," she turned to see that the voice belonged to Draco who was smiling at her as she headed to the front. How could the boy she met on the train be the same boy who spoke to Harry with such disgust towards Ron?

The students gathered around the front of the hall before a stool that the infamous sorting hat rested on. McGonagall stood at the front and gathered everyone around, "Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words," She moved aside and everybody's eyes shifted to an elderly looking man at the centre of the table, with his long beard tucked into his belt.

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds, to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you," he finished and took his seat once more.

McGonagall turned back to face the group and held up her scroll, "When I call your name, you shall come forth. I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses.. Hermione Granger."

Hermione paled slightly as her name was called out first. She headed up the small steps to reach McGonagall who held the hat up for her to sit under it. Once she sat down the hat was placed on the top her head and she could feel it move instantly.

"Ahhh, right then, hmmm," the hat spoke out. Hermione squirmed beneath it as it moved around on her head trying to decide on her house, "Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table erupted with cheers and applause as Hermione hopped off the stool and ran over to join their table. She caught site of Ron who rolled his eyes and not far from him, Draco who looked slightly disappointed at the result.

"Draco Malfoy," McGonagall called next, he made his way through the group up to the top of the stairs and sat on the stool.

Before the hat had even touched Draco's head it shouted, "Slytherin!" The Slytherin table erupted with cheers as a few members stood up to clap.

"Ronald Weasley," Ron slowly made his way to the stool, his nervousness showing on his face.

"Ah! Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you... Gryffindor!" The hat shouted, the Gryffindor table clapped and cheered, a few more students with features that resembled Ron's stood up to pat him on his back as he sat down at the table.

"Harry Potter," McGonagall spoke and the entire hall, teachers and all, went silent. Harry made his way up to the front and he could feel all eyes burning into him as he sat down with McGonagall placing the hat on his head.

"Hmm difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either and talent! Oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?" The hat spoke whilst Harry mumbled the words not Slytherin, it continued, "Not Slytherin ay? But are you sure? You could be great y'know. It's all here, in your head, and Slytherin could help you on your way to greatness, there is no doubt about that. No?.." Harry continued to whisper to himself as the hat still struggled to choose, "No? Well.. better be... Gryffindor!"

The entire table stood up, clapping and cheering as Harry made his way over to take his place next to Hermione. Once everyone was sorted into their houses, Dumbledore stood up and called the feast to an official start. Plates and plates of food from all around the world appeared in front of everyone. Ron did not hesitate to get stuck into the meal. Before Hermione had a chance to process the amount of food, Ron already had a plate and mouth full.

"Harry, show us your scar," A red haired boy called over.

"Ignore Fred. He's one of my annoying brothers," Ron said to Harry through a mouth full of chicke.

"Annoying perhaps, but handsome? Most definitely," Fred's identical twin brother added.

"And that's George."

Harry laughed at the boys and pulled back his hair slightly to show his scar to the twins.

"Wicked," they said in unison.

"Does it hurt?" Hermione asked Harry who shook his head in response.

Everybody continued to eat their meals and get to know their new housemates. Hermione glanced around the room at the other house tables and spotted Draco on the Slytherin table, who was looking at her, his eyes averted the second she noticed.

"Ron?" He made a grunting noise in response to her, but no other indication that he was actually listening. "Draco Malfoy, why was he so horrible to you? Do you know him?" She asked.

Ron actually swallowed what was in his mouth and cleared his throat before he spoke. "Our dads work together at the Ministry. He's not a very nice person from the sounds of things. The whole Malfoy family are arseholes if I'm honest. All a bunch of Pureblood extremists. Not one of them turned out okay. Draco will be the same. There isn't a witch or Wizard that turned bad that wasn't in Slytherin," he added before picking up some more food.

Hermione glanced over at Draco again and observed him briefly as he watched his friends, Crab and Goyle, who were shovelling more food into their mouths than Ron. After the feast finished the prefects guided the first years of their houses back to the common rooms. The Gryffindor common room was comfortably small. There was a fire lit in the corner and a few bookcases filled to the brim with books all shapes and sizes, and desks on either side. There were various kinds of light brown seats scattered around the room, with walls coated in a deep shade of red and flashes of gold throughout, Hermione smiled to herself as she approved of the common room she would be tied to for the next seven years.

~X~

The Gryffindor students made their way to their dorm rooms, where all of their belongings they had brought with them were already positioned next to their beds. The first thing Hermione wanted to do was to unpack her books and set them up on her nightstand. When she reached her bed she noticed there was a book already on the table, she assumed, was something that everybody received on their first day, a guide to the school for Muggleborns perhaps. After glancing around the room she realised this wasn't the case as she was the only one with a book beside her bed.

The exterior of the book was a deep blood red colour. There were no pictures or writing, no title, just a fabric cover. When she opened the book she found a little note inside that read _ 'First recommendation, enjoy.' _with nothing further. No signature from whoever sent it, although Hermione had her suspicions. She turned the first page of the book and read the title '_Darkness Falls' _, with no indication to the author. Hermione put down the book before she became too drawn in by her curiosity and continued to unpack the rest of her things.

~X~

The Slytherin common room was quite the opposite to Gryffindor's. The walls stood tall with shades of emerald painted across the room and silver drapes hanging over them. The sofas that were dotted around were black leather and cold, which seemed to be the running theme of the Slytherin common room. After being shown around the common room the first years were guided to their dorms where they found their belongings. Less eager to unpack than the Gryffindor's, most of them returned back to the common room once the tour was over.

"How are you _still_ eating?" Blaise asked Goyle who shrugged whilst he stuffed more cake into his mouth.

Draco joined the group a few moments later and almost as if out of natural instinct Crab moved out of his seat to stand up and let Draco sit down.

"Where've you been?" Blaise asked Draco.

"I had something to do, never you mind."

Blaise huffed at his response and turned to face the rest of the group to make introductions for Draco, not that many where required, "Draco this is Daphne Greengrass, obviously you remember Theo, not sure if you're properly acquainted with Pansy. Guys this is Draco Malfoy," he finished.

"Draco Malfoy, as I live and breath. Pansy _Parkinson, _my father has told me lots about you," Pansy spoke first, not a hint of shyness emitted from her. She was very outgoing and cared little for what others thought about her, that much was clear.

"I imagine he has. Rufus Parkinson, I assume?" He asked, gaining a nod from her. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Agreed. He speaks very highly of your family, he's even mentioned once or twice about a family agreement regarding our future." Pansy drawled, looking around at the group rather than at the person she spoke to, it was clear to Draco that she enjoyed attention.

"Is that so?" Draco questioned, he'd often heard of Pureblood families arranging marriages for their children, he'd even over heard his father once or twice mention the Parkinsons names in reference to that very topic, but he never paid much attention to it.

The rest of the group were discussing what lessons were going to be like having to share with other houses as Draco's mind wandered to the book he'd sent to Hermione, curious as to whether or not she was reading it or if she had even noticed it was there. A small smile appeared on his face when he imagined that she probably completely bypassed it when unpacking her other books, to wrapped up in her excitement.

~X~

Hermione finished unpacking and becoming accustomed to her new room, turning towards her bed, she climbed up and tucked herself in. After over an hour of excitement in the girls dormitory, everyone quieted down, mentally preparing for tomorrow's lessons. Hermione switched off her lamp and snuggled down beneath the blanket. After a moment her eyes adjusted to the dark room and she found herself looking at the book on her bedside table. Hermione felt her eyes becoming heavy, just before she drifted off completely, she wondered how Draco had managed to sneak the book into her room.


	2. Two

_1991 - First Year_

The first week of lessons flew by for all of the first years. Harry and Ron had already been late to a lesson several times and Seamus, the Irish boy Hermione had met on the boat ride to Hogwarts, had already blown something up in class, several times. Hermione found that she spent most of her free time studying between lessons, and when she wasn't studying she was reading the book that Draco had sent to her on her first night.

The book was about a young wizard that had been adopted by a poor couple in the 1920's. Although he was a wizard, he wasn't actually aware until later on in life when his adopted father, who was also a wizard, shared their secret. Everything he learned from his muggle mother shaped his personality. He was kind, sweet, funny, loving, and he would do just about anything for his family; but they never asked or wanted for anything other than his happiness. Hermione reached a point in the story where the young boy had just discovered he had magic before she put it down and prepared herself for her first flying lessons. As soon as Hermione received her time table she made note that on the second week, flying lessons with Madam Hooch started for first years, she had been dreading it since that day, she didn't like the idea of flying.

All the first year students from Gryffindor and Slytherin were told to form two lines facing one another with their brooms on the floor beside them. Hermione felt her legs turn to jelly as she glanced around at all of the students that could potentially witness her falling from her broom.

"Good Afternoon Class," Madam Hooch spoke as she made her way to the other end of the line of students. The class greeted her in unison before she continued.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson! Now, I want everyone to step up to the left side of the broomstick. Stick your right hand over the broom and say up," she told the class before she began to make her way down the rows of students to observe who was managing to lift the broom.

Harry was the first to be successful. One his first attempt the broom lifted off of the ground and into his hand, with Draco following close behind. Ron on the other hand was having difficulties as the broom didn't so much as flinch on the floor as he yelled his command at it. Hermione was having just as much difficulty with her broom as she watched it move frantically on the floor making no indication of going much higher than an inch off the ground.

Tired and fed up of yelling at his broom, Ron let out one more exasperated command, which resulted in the broom flying up towards him at such a speed that it bypassed his hand and smacked him in the face. Rubbing is nose and inhaling sharply, he turned to his right noticed Harry clutching at his stomach and laughing hysterically at him.

Once everyone had successfully gripped their brooms, Hooch continued with her teachings, "Now, once you have hold of you broom, mount it and grip it tightly. You don't want to go sliding off the end."

The class followed as she instructed, Hermione's heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to break out of her chest. The girp she held on her broom loosened as her hands became clammy with nerves, combined with her shaking fingers she almost struggled to mount her broom.

"When I blow my whistle I want each of you to kick off from the ground, keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle, three, two.." Hooch blew her whistle and Neville's broom immediately flew up into the air just above everyone's head. "Mr Longbottom!" Hooch shouted worryingly, but it didn't stop Neville's broom from flying higher before shooting off heading towards the castle.

Neville yelled for help as he made his way around one of the castle towers until eventually his robe caught on a statue and pulled him off his broom. It wasn't long until the material gave way and he fell to the floor with a great thud. Madam Hooch and the rest of the class rushed over to him as he lay on the floor groaning in pain, upon further inspection it was clear to see that he had broken his wrist.

As Hooch guided him up off of the floor she spoke to the class, "Everyone is to keep their feet firmly on the ground whilst I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing, understood? If I see a single broom in the air the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch," she finished as she walked off with Neville.

Once they were no longer in sight, Draco began to snigger alongside Crab and Goyle, "Look, it's Neville's Remembrall." Draco laughed whilst throwing the ball in the air.

"Did you see his face?" Blaise said whilst laughing.

"Yeah, maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze he would've remembered to fall on his fat arse," Draco responded, gaining laughter from the other Slytherins.

"Give it here Malfoy," Harry spoke as he pushed his way through the crowed. T

Draco turned coldly and faced Harry, sizing him up as he looked up and down at the full length of his bod before he responded, "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find."

With that Draco mounted his broom and flew around the group, hovering slightly in the distance, "How about on the roof?" He yelled from from where he hovered, "Whats the matter Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

Harry scowled and mounted his broom, Hermione's stomach lurched at the thought of the two boys chasing each other around on brooms when they were so inexperienced.

"Harry no! You heard what Madam Hooch said. Besides you don't even know how to fly!" Hermione didn't get chance to finish her sentence before Harry shot off on his broom, leaving her mumbling about how foolish he was.

"Give it here Malfoy or else I'll knock you off your broom!" he shouted, steadying himself as he came to a halt.

"Is that so?" Draco laughed, smirking at Harry as he tried to stay comfortably still on his broom, flying came at such ease to Draco.

The smirk he wore on his face caused Harry to dart forward and try to take the Rememberall from his hands, "Have it your way then," Draco said before launching the Remembrall off into the distance.

It flew with such speed that Harry was convinced it was going to go through a window. He pushed forward on his broom and flew as fast as he could before stopping abruptly outside a window to the castle, inches away from smashing through, but he had achieved what he set out to do, he had caught Neville's gift from his Grandmother. Harry flew back to the group of cheering Gryffindor's and landed whilst various classmates patted him on the back and congratulated him on his success and flying ability.

The class was too engrossed by what had just happened, that nobody had noticed McGonagall had been storming up the pathway towards the group, "Harry Potter! Come with me."

The entire class fell silent as Harry gave the Remembrall to Ron and followed McGonagall back towards the school with his head hung low, the Slytherin students sniggering as he passed them.

"What a shame, he's going to get expelled before school has even properly started," Draco spoke.

Hermione spun round to glare at him, causing the grin he worse on his face to fall. He couldn't understand why, but the look she had given him resulted in a wave of guilt to wash over him. However it was a fleeting moment as another snigger from Theo to his left brought him back in the moment as a smirk returned to his face.

"Malfoy really is a git," Ron said to Hermione.

She nodded in agreement and followed the remainder of the Gryffindor's as they began to head back to their own common room.

~X~

Hermione had escaped from the group and headed to the library instead of going to strait to the common room, she had only been at Hogwarts a couple of weeks and yet she had decided the library was already her favourite place. It was very rare that Harry and Ron found themselves there unless they needed her help with their homework. Sometimes she felt as though she needed a break from listening to them plot all the different ways they were going to get Draco back for what he had done to Neville.

She had claimed a corner of the library to herself and sat comfortably surrounded by books on charms that were sprawled out around her, some open to pages she was retrieving snippets of information from, when a note flew into her lap. She picked it up and glanced around the room to see who was responsible, however after a quick glance, she couldn't see anyone in there with her.

'_The look you gave me today.__.. Does that mean you're friends with Longbottom_?' She read, realising there was only one person that it could've been from.

Hermione contemplated for a moment as to whether or not she was going to reply, but the note burned slightly in her hand. That kind of magic was all very knew to her, she had read books on the various methods of communication in the wizarding world, but her casting ability was by no means advanced, not yet.

_'Whether I am or not doesn't matter. What you did was mean.'_ She scribbled down before folding the note up again, hoping what to do next would become clear, when the note disappeared between her fingertips she realised it must have been part of the spell to return to sender once a reply had been written.

Within seconds the note made its way back to her when she discovered it burning on her lap, '_I never claimed to be nice. I've never been unpleasant to you so why should it matter?_' The words on the note infuriated her as she read over them two or three times. He wasn't understanding her point, but then she may not have been explaining it properly.

_'I suppose you have never claimed to be nice, but I don't want to be friends with a bully._' She wrote before she folded the note and gathered her books, walking out of the library in a huff.

~x~

News about Harry's reward for excellent flying skills travelled around the school fast. He was to become the youngest seeker in a century to play on the school Quidditch team. Draco sat in the courtyard with his friends, observing Harry and Ron as they discussed the news, his eyes flickered to Hermione who has recently joined the due.

"Only Saint Potter could be rewarded for doing exactly what a Professor told him not to do, favouritism at its finest!" Blaise ranted, shaking his head as he picked a leaf apart between his fingers.

Crabbe and Goyle grunted in agreement as they all watched the three Gryffindors leave the courtyard together

"They will be favoured too, Granger and Weasley. They are friends with him after all, and I bet they are just as insufferable," Pansy spoke up.

Draco tensed at the mention of Hermione's name, uncomfortable by the tone of Pansy's voice. Observant as he so often was, Blaise noticed Darco's sudden change in expression once Pansy had mentioned the name of a particular Gryffindor.

"Careful now Pans, that's Draco's future girlfriend you're talking about," he sniggered, which brought Draco's eyes to him, his complexion a small fraction paler than usual as he glared at his friend.

"I should certainly hope not!" Pansy snapped and turned to face Draco, "You do know she's a Mudblood?!"

Draco shifted in his seat before straightening his back and relaxing his face before he looked at her. He knew deep down that she wasn't a pure-blood, she couldn't have been with her lack of experience in the magic world, but it hadn't been officially confirmed for him.

"Her blood status is irrelevant to me Pansy, I have nothing to do with any of the Golden Trio, so you can all pipe down and go back to bitching about how unfair it is that Potter is playing Quidditch," he said causally.

Pansy remained unconvinced as she scowled at him for a small while longer before Blaise pulled her attention towards him.

"The Golden Trio... I like it!" Blaise was the first to break the silence and the group laughed and the tension settled.

Before long Draco's eyes shifted back to the spot where Hermione had been sitting just moments ago. He soon became lost in thought about how someone so intelligent could be considered as beneath him, all because of something she could not control, all because of the blood that ran through her veins. He switched off from the conversations around him as he contemplated on everything he had been taught growing up about blood status, and how true any of it was.

~x~

Halloween was fast approaching and the festivities were in full swing around the castle. Every year a spectacular feast was held in the Great Hall and every common was granted permission to have their own individual celebrations, with rules that most students considered as guidelines rather than rules. Further refreshments and snacks would appear in each common room after the feast and students where encouraged to wear costumes, although it wasn't mandatory, all prefects were tasked in choosing a theme for the costumes. Classes were still on going and students were expected to continue to study, it was clear to see that the attention of every student wavered the week leading up to Halloween.

On the 31st of October, Hermione had made her way to lunch and in her usual fashion, sat beside Harry with a book in hand, opposite Ron and Seamus. All three boys were discussing Quidditch, a topic that hadn't seemed to have died despite it having been 6 weeks since Harry has been appointed Gryffindor Seeker. Hermione rolled her eyes and burried her head in her book, blocking out the chatter around her.

Not long after she had arrived, the small group made there was to Charms classs, the second to the last lesson of the day as a boy named Dean Thomas had kept reminding them throughout the day. He, much most of the students, was extremely excited for the evening Halloween party so much so that he had taken it upon himself to count down the hours.

Draco on the other hand wasn't as excited for most. He hated dressing up, no matter the event. He would participate in the conversations, indulge in a few ideas for some of his classmates, but that's as far as his interest stretched. He stretched his back out, pushing his chest forward slightly before he relaxed and crossed his arms against his chest whilst he leaned against an alcove, leading into the courtyard, trying to block out Pansy's description of her chosen costume. He smirked to himself as he thought that it came as no surprise to him that Pansy had chosen the most basic of costumes.

"It's LeviOsa, not LeviosA.." Draco head turned at the sound of a familiar red haired boy's voice, to discover Ron, Harry and Seamus all walking out of their Charms class, "Honestly, she's a nightmare! No wonder she doesn't have any friends." Ron continued.

In this moment Hermione stormed passed them in floods of tears, barging into Ron's shoulder on the way. It didn't take a genius to see that the person he was talking about was clearly her. Draco's eyes followed Hermione until she turned the corner and was no longer in view, his attention moving back to the group of boys who wore matching uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

"I think I'm going to be a vampire," Blaise said and pretended to attack Pansy with his fake fangs earning an ear piercing squeal from her.

"Draco, what're you dressing up as?" Pansy cooed.

"Professor Trelawney." Draco said whithout averting his eyes from the three Gryffindors, the group of Slytherins erupted with laughter with his answer, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the common room before lesson. I've forgotten my book," He mumled without a glance at his group, he left as they were all still in fits of laughter.

Draco discreetly made his way around the castle despite being during lesson time, searching all of the possible places Hermione could be hiding that didn't include the Gryffindor common room. He considered sending her a note but knew she probably wouldn't reply given their last exchanging of words. He started to pick up the pace when he almost missed the sobs coming out of one of the girls toilets. Stopping suddenly, he focused on the noise until it became clearer that there was infact someone in there who was upset. Pushing against the door slightly, Draco tried to catch a glimpse of the person inside in case it wasn't Hermione, but the second he saw her reflection in the mirror he pushed into the bathroom making her jump.

"What're you doing here!? This is the girls toilets!" She squealed quickly wiping away the tears that had been streaming down her face moments ago.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed. It sounded like someone was being brutally murdered so I thought I'd come check it out," Draco said nonchalantly as he made his way over to lean against a cubicle.

"Sorry to disappoint but it's just me, so you can be on your way," Hermione said between sniffles, as she turned away from him towards the mirror. She looked up in the mirror after a few moments and noticed he made no signs of leaving.

"You're not crying over what Weasel said are you?" Draco asked with no emotion in his voice. He knew the answer but he wanted her to confirm it for him.

"I'm not crying, I'm just... I don't feel well so I thought I'd hide out here for a little while. It was _supposed_ to be quiet," she answered, her voice a little more stronger than the last time.

"Ignore him. He's just jealous because you are better at him than magic. In fact, you're better than nearly everyone but some people don't like that. Clearly he's one of them, bruised ego and all that."

Hermione sniffled once more and turned to face him. She had finally stopped crying and she knew part of that was due to Draco distracting her, "Why are you here?" She asked.

"I told you, I thought I heard someone-"

"Being brutally murdered. Yes, you said," Hermione eyed him skeptically, "But you've got Defence Against The Dark Arts now and that's no where near this part of the castle. Neither is your common room, bit of a coincidence you found me don't you think?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders and shifted so that his back was against the cubicle, trying not to make it obvious that he had come looking for her.

Hermione moved over to the adjacent cubicle to face him, "I'm staying here until the end of lesson, you can go now. I'll be fine," she said as she slid down to sit on the floor.

Draco stared down at her for a moment before he did the same, "'Suppose I am too then," he said matter of fact.

She couldn't help but smile slightly, at least someone wanted to be friends with her.

"So, are you enjoying the book I sent you?" He asked, breaking the silence.

Hermione had assumed it was Draco that had sent her the book but she'd never asked, nor had she told anyone where she got it from. "Yes I am, I'm almost finished. It's quite dark than I thought it would be. I hadn't expected him to murder his real parents."

"But they were evil. They made him kill his adopted Mother, whether she was muggle and she deserved it is a whole over question but he still shouldn't have been forced to."

"Why would her being a muggle mean she would deserve to die?" Hermione asked, puzzled and slightly hurt.

"Well, maybe she didn't deserve to _die, _but its not like a wizard dying it it?"

"Isn't it?"

This was all the confirmation Draco needed on whether or not Hermione was a Muggle Born, an awkward silence had began to build between them before Hermione spoke once more.

"Regardless to your twisted beliefs, she didn't deserve to die, also two wrongs don't make a right. He could've chosen not to kill his adoptive mother and then nobody would have died. He had a choice."

"Don't be naive Granger. If he didn't do it they would've done it for him, they were just muggles, only they probably would've taken their time."

Draco's words made Hermione shiver. There were people living in their world, their real world that lived similar lives and it was difficult for Hermione to imagine.

"They weren't _just _ anything. They were like you and me, why is that so difficult to see?"

"I was raised in a very different household to you, what I was taught to believe will be very different to what you may have been."

"Clearly. It's a cruel world we live in," she added and Draco simply nodded. "Are you dressing up for your party tonight?" she asked, changing the subject to something a little lighter.

"I don't intend to. Blaise is trying to make me dress up but I hate costumes."

"Me too, I don't think I'll dress up. I wonder how many black cats will be wandering around."

"Don't get me started on that," he laughed as he remembered Pansy's suggestion for her costume. Hermione couldnt help but find his laugh infection as she joined in with him. For a few moments they sat, laughing, not even knowing what they were laughing about anymore until they eventually settled. "I think lessons should be over now, the feast would have started. Shall we go to the great hall?" Draco stood up and held out his hand for Hermione to help her up, which she took without hesitation.

"You go first. I'm going to sort my face out before I head down. Plus, I'm not someone you want to be seen walking with." She smirked as she said the last bit.

Draco paused for a moment, the pain in her truth was clear on his face. "I'll see you around, Granger."

"Draco... Thank you, for staying with me."

Her words caused a small blush to appear across his cheeks before he nodded and left her alone, heading for the great hall.

~X~

"Where have you been?" Pansy asked Draco as he sat down at the Slytherin table.

"I fell asleep. Did I miss much in Defence Against The Dark Arts?" He asked as he leaned across the table to get some food.

"Not really. Have you decided what-" Pansy was cut off by the sound of the great hall doors being slung open and Professor Quirrell running through the hall, panting whilst flailing his arms.

"TROLLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He yelled at the now deadly silent hall before he fainted, landing face first against the hard floor of the hall.

After a few moments the realisation of what he screamed, the fear kicked in as all the students began to scream.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice boomed and the hall immediately fell silent, "Prefects, lead your houses back to the common rooms and stay there until further notice. Teachers, follow me," he ordered, after which everybody moved quickly.

Draco was all but running out of the hall behind Crabb and Goyle when he caught the back end of Harry telling Ron that Hermione had never showed for the feast.

"I saw her running to the girls toilets on the third floor. Nobody ever goes there and I don't think she's left since," a calming voice that belonged to a small blonde girl spoke. The boys looked at one another before the detached from the group of students and ran towards the third floor. Draco was overwhelmed by a sinking feeling in his stomach, regretting his decision to leave Hermione and not make her walk with him to the hall.

"Draco, move, now!" Professor Snape snapped at him and he began to run back to his common room instantly. He would just have to put his faith in Harry and Ron to make sure she was okay. Something he really didn't want to do.

~x~

It didn't take long for everyone to forget about the troll and start their evening Halloween parties. Each common room was booming with students in costumes dancing and laughing together. Harry, Ron and Hermione turned up to the Gryffindor common room over an hour after everyone else and was answering questions about the troll for at least another hour before Hermione had endured enough and took herself to her dorm room. Collapsing on the bed, she hadn't realised how exhausted she was. Her eyes felt heavy and she could feel her body sinking further into her bed when her pocket in her robes began to burn. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a note opening it,.

'_Are you okay?_' Assuming it was Draco as nobody else had ever sent her a note before, she smiled to herself at his concern,.

_'I'm okay. A little shook up, but I'm in bed now safe and sound. Harry and Ron made it to me on time._' she wrote back, quickly jumping up and readying herself for bed. Snuggling up beneath the blankets when she noticed another burning note.

'_Good. It's the least they could do. After all, you wouldn't have been in there if it wasn't for those tw_o.'

As Hermione read the note it dawned on her that her new found friendship with Draco wasn't going to be easy. They were all from two different worlds, one that her, Harry and Ron were never going to be apart of. She didn't quite know how to respond to him as she lost herself in thoughts of their complicated friendship, almost as if he sensed her hesitation, the note burned again.

'You were right about the cats, there's at least 6 in the Slytherin common room.'

She giggled to herself, pulling her duvet up closer to her. '_That's nothing. You should see how many there are in Gryfindoor! And what is your costume?_' She waited patiently for his response and in no time at all it burned again.

_'A little know it all with crazy hair.' _

She rolled her eyes as she read over the words, she knew he was trying to get a rise out of her, so she wrote one last note before turning in for the night, '_So you stuck with no costume at all then? Pity._'

Before she tucked herself completely in the note burned one more time, '_Touché Granger. Goodnight._' She read it with a smile, before falling asleep with it in her hand.

~x~

Since the incident with the troll Hermione, Harry and Ron had gotten considerably closer, spending most of their time together in and out of classes. They all even found themselves in a sticky situation together when they stumbled across a three headed giant dog in a room they were specifically told not to go into at the beginning of the school year. Since that incident they had been researching what could potentially be beneath the trapped door that the dog stood on.

After her new friendship had formed with the boys Hermione had barely any time to read her books but, as it happened, at the begining of December she finally found herself with time to hide away and read her book. She tucked herself away in the library, finishing the book Draco had given her. As she turned the last page she sighed heavily and it dawned on her that the story had ended. After finishing any good book, Hermione felt a little down about it being the end of a story. She considered sending a note to Draco to tell him that she had finished the book but realised she had no idea how to send one, she had only ever replied. It had also been weeks since she had spoken to him which could mean he didn't want to speak to her. The last time they had exchanged words was Halloween.

Hermione began to search the library for books on methods of communication in the magical world until she eventually stumbled across exactly what she needed. The title read 'Hidden Messages' and her gut told her she had found exactly what she needed. She wandered back to the corner of the library and sat down cross legged with a piece of parchment and the book on her lap, skimming through until she found the spell she needed.

_'Any more recommendations?_' She folded the note and waved her wand over it a couple of times before it disappeared. After a few moments it reappeared back in her lap and she opened it quickly to see the response.

_'Took you longer than I thought it would for you to finish it. What did you think?' _

She smiled to herself and began writing her reply, _'I've been distracted as of late. I was hoping for a happy ending, more fool me. It was really good though.'_ She sent the note off and gathered her things together before leaving, the note burned in her pocket once more.

_'Not everyone gets a happy ending, Granger.' _

It was a sad thing to believe but true, not everyone did and not everyone deserved one. Hermione made her way back to the common room where she found Harry and Ron looking over a Chocolate Frog card.

"How did we not notice this before, Dumbledore was friends with Nicolas Flamel!" Harry told Ron.

"I bet Hagrid knows about the Philosophers stone. I say we go and visit him tonight, we wanted to ask him about the dog anyway," Ron suggested.

Going out of the castle after hours made Hermione feel uncomfortable but she wasn't going to miss finding out new information on something they had been researching into for weeks, so it was agreed that they would meet in the common room at 9 o'clock and they would head down together.

~x~

Draco sat in his common room with Crab and Goyle who were stuffing their faces with cake, he waited patiently for a response from his last message to Hermione but one never came.

"What's up with your face?" Blaise asked Draco as he joined the group.

"I'm just currently wondering how 2 people can eat so much food," he lied.

Blaise bought the lie and laughed as he glanced towards Crabbe and Goyle, "I over heard Potter and Weasel discussing their theories on who let the Troll out over Halloween earlier on. Can you believe they think it was Snape?" Blaise asked Draco whilst he flicked though a copy of Witch Weekly.

"Why do they think it was Snape? He was in the hall with everyone the whole time. The only one who wasn't in there was Quirrell and if he wasn't such a bumbling idiot I'd think it was him," Draco responded.

"Maybe it was you," Blaise mocked accusation and Draco scowled, "Where did you say you were again?"

"Here, I fell asleep."

"Ah yes, that was it," Blaise's smirk grew wider and it was clear he didn't believe what Draco had said.

"So anyway, they're going to ask the hairy oaf what his theory's are tonight," Blaise added and turned his eyes back to the paper.

"He doesn't even know how to bathe properly, why are they seeking his advice?" Draco scoffed.

"Dunno. Sneaking out after hours though... It would be a shame if they got caught," Blaise's smile was suggestive.

Draco would love nothing more than to get those boys into trouble and so he began to formulate a plan with his friend.

~x~

Later that night Draco left the Slytherin common room and tiptoed quietly through the castle until he heard Harry's voice.

"Come on, we need to be quick so that we don't get caught. I hear Filch is in charge of detentions and I don't want to experience what ever he has in store."

Draco couldn't see him but he heard his foot steps running away out of the building and no doubt towards Hagrids' hut. He waited for a few moments before he followed, arriving at the hut and peaked inside but froze at the sight of Ron who spotted him straight away. It took a couple of seconds for his mind to tell his feet to run back towards the castle. Once he found Professor McGonagall's office, he banged at it until she answered the door with her dressing gown on and a night cap, looking down on him as he panted, trying to get his words out.

"Mr Malfoy, what could you possibly have to tell me at this time of the night!"

Draco took a moment longer to catch his breath before he told McGonagall about Harry and Ron being out of bed and roaming the castle. After which they sat waiting for them to walk by her office and when they did, McGonagall stepped out of the room to greet them. Draco's smirk was more of a sadistic grin as he watched Harry walking into the room, closely followed by Ron. His smirk immediately fell from his face when he spotted Hermione wandering in behind them. Harry, Ron and Hermione all stared down at their feet whilst McGonagall lectured them on curfews and removed points from each of their houses.

Draco couldn't help but stare at Hermione, guilt washing over him as he realised he'd gotten her into trouble also. It wasn't until McGonagall included him in the punishment that he was able to turn his head away from Hermione and toward McGonagall, "Excuse me Professor, did you say, the 4 of us?"

McGonagall smiled and nodded, before she explained that Draco must've been wandering the castle after curfew also if he caught the others in the act, so it was final. They would all share detention together tomorrow evening. With a huff, Draco stormed out of McGonagall's office and headed to the Slytherin common room.

"Did they get caught?" Blaise asked him as he entered the common room, Draco sat down heavily against the sofa opposite him.

"Yes. But so did I!"

Blaise couldn't help but laugh at the knews, which soon died down as Pansy joined them, sitting next to Draco. "Anyway, I'm off to bed, see you tomorrow you rule breaker you," he winked at Draco and left the common room for his dorms.

"I can't believe you have to endure detention with the Golden Trio," Pansy said in a concerned voice. Draco hummed in agreement but said nothing further as he pinched at the bridge of his nose, "I wonder what they'll have you doing. I heard Filch likes to makes groups clean around the castle, but like - without magic."

Draco groaned at the idea of having to clean anything with magic, never mind without, "As long as I'm not paired with Weasel."

Pansy laughed before kicking off her shoes and tucked her feet up on the sofa, getting comfortably close to Draco as she flicked through the copy of Witch Weekly Blaise had discarded.

Not before long, he felt the familiar burning from his robe pocked. He stood up slowly causing Pansy to look at him with confusion.

"I'm tired, I'm going to go to bed." He told her and left before she had chance to respond.

'_Th__at backfired didn't it!_' The note he found in his pocket read.

He couldn't decide if she was angry or having a joke with him. He knew she was probably furious but he decided to make light of it.

'_Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I just wanted to spend an evening with the Golden Trio._'

He sent the note back to her and climbed into bed. It reappeared within seconds and that was confirmation she was definitely annoyed which only made him smile more.

_'Well you got your wish! Goodnight Malfoy! P.S. Golden Trio? Really?'_

He let out a quiet laugh before he burned the note and turned over to go to sleep. Maybe he would be paired with her tomorrow and they'd get a chance to talk without prying eyes. Hopefully she wasn't too angry to talk to him. Either way, it was the first detention Draco had that he was secretly looking forward to.


	3. Three

1991 - First Year

It was ten minutes to 8 in the evening the night of Hermione's detention and she stood waiting in Professor McGonagalls classroom for the others to join. Even to detention Hermione was early. McGonagall gave Hermione a disappointed look as she wandered into her office which only added to the guilt Hermione was feeling right then. If her parents knew she had detention they would've given her a similar look. Hermione looked at the clock as it struck 8 o'clock and just in time the rest of the group had arrived, with Filch not far behind.

"Students. Follow me," he snarled at the group.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked ahead and followed Filch out of the castle, Draco trailing behind with his hands in his pockets kicking stones. Hermione recognized the little hut in the distance as it belonged to Hagrid and it seemed like the only plausible destination they where heading to, although nobody could figure out why. Upon arriving at Hagrid's hut, Filch banged a fist against the door which swung open to reveal the half giant and a large dog perched next to him.

"Evening everyone, are we all 'ere?" Hagrid's voice boomed.

"That's the lot of them. Good luck children.. you'll need it where you're going," Filch added as he smiled the most sinister smile to the children and wandered off back to the castle.

"Ok now. We're goin' in te' forest tonight and it'll be easier if we split up," Hagrid had just finished his sentence before Draco shouted up, "I get Granger!"

All eyes were on him with confused and shocked expressions to match. "You don't have a wand," he pointed towards Hagrid, "and between the pair of you I can't imagine you could successfully cast one spell. We also get Fang," he continued and pointed to the dog.

Hermione looked over at Hagrid who waited for her confirmation that she was fine with the plan to which she nodded.

"Okay. Jus' so y'know, he's a bloody coward."

The groups set off into the Forbidden Forest, a punishment no one in the group saw fit for the crime. Hermione stumbled over the branches, jumping at each twig that snapped and every gust of wind that disturbed the leaves in the surrounding trees. It didn't take long before the cold breeze had reached her core and eventually the loudest noise she could hear were her teeth chattering together.

"Are you cold?" Draco asked Hermione.

She nodded and he removed his cloak from around his shoulder and held it out for her, she shook her head but couldn't bring herself to use words to decline his offer.

"For once, don't be so stubborn Granger and take the cloak, you'll freeze otherwise,"

She scowled at him and grabbed the cloak feeling it's warmth the instant she put it around her shoulders. It smelled like him and that added to the warm feeling coursing through her body. Despite feeling considerably warmer, Hermione was still jumping at every noise. Hagrid had tasked them to find a Unicorn that had been hurt badly by something in the woods and so they continued.

"Surely they can't do this, students aren't allowed in the Forest. My father will here about this," Draco spoke, more so to himself but Hermione still felt the need to respond.

"It's detention Draco. It isn't supposed to be fun."

"Yes, but it isn't supposed to be dangerous either," he bit back at her, she shook her head and carried on forward. "Granger, just so you know.. I didn't actually know you were with those two when I told McGonagall."

"Are you apologizing?"

"No!" He said all to quickly and it made Hermione come to a halt. "I'm just saying, I didn't know. I just wanted to get Saint Potter into trouble."

"So if you did know.. would you still have told on us?"

"No... Probably not."

"Why?" Her question made him silent, he didn't actually know why. They weren't friends, how could they be? And yet he had a soft spot for Hermione that he couldn't quite fathom.

"I don't know.. I just... Wouldn't."

She eyed him skeptically and finally her face broke into a smirk, "Okay. I accept your none apology."

"Good! And anyway, it worked out for the best. You got to spend an evening with me and I'm clearly your favourite person in this place, am I not?" His grin was overly large on his face like he was trying to convince her rather than ask her. Hermione couldn't help but laugh in response. Not a harsh laugh, more like the one they shared in the toilets on Halloween. Draco did make her laugh and she didn't hate spending time with him.

"You're certainly not my least favourite."

"I'll take that!"

"Besides, this isn't exactly fun. We are inside the Forbidden Forest, not my idea of things working out for the best."

As if on cue, they both heard the howl of a wolf and Hermione jumped to grab Draco's arm.

"Sorry about that, probably should've put in a request for the location of our detention," Again he had her giggling.

She hadn't cared about their proximity and neither had he, they even carried on further into the woods with Hermione's arm in his. As they walked she wondered why it didn't feel strange to be so close to him, and in the same moment Draco wondered the same. It didn't feel awkward, neither one felt shy about it and it didn't feel uncomfortable, it just felt right. She tried to imagine how it would feel if she had her arm in Ron's and she blushed immediately. She then thought about Harry and she realized Harry would've been just as comfortable only, more like a brotherly kind if comfortable. With Draco, it was different.

"I'd much rather have just been in the library." Hermione said.

"I don't think they do detention in the library, unless Madam Pince made us reorganize all the books into alphabetical order. But... Something tells me you spending an evening in the library wouldn't be punishment." Draco smirked at her.

"No it wouldn't, but i didn't mean detention I meant about what you said earlier, spending an evening together didn't have to be in the forest," she said whilst still giggling.

"It'd be fairly difficult to any other way," he spoke with a flat tone now, which made Hermione's face fall.

"Are you saying this is the only way we can spend time together?"

"Unfortunately."

"Why!? How are we supposed to be friends if the only time we can speak to each other is in detention or by sending each other little notes?!" Hermione's voice raised slightly in frustration and she pulled her arm from his, feeling the cold instantly.

"We aren't supposed to be friends Granger.. That's the point."

She paled slightly at his words, not quite understanding what he was saying, "And why is that?" Hermione's voice had reduced down to a near whisper. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear his answer but a part of her needed to know. Was she not good enough for him? Was he embarrassed by her?

"Because I'm a Slytherin pure-blood and you're.." His voice broke and he couldn't finish the sentence as he stared at her. The light from the moon landed directly on her face and he could see every feature from where he stood, including the pools of tears that had filled her eyes.

"And I'm a Gryffindor Muggleborn," she choked out before a tear rolled down her face, her suspicion was right.

"Look Granger, I'm just saying-"

"The tears were rolling out of her eyes now and Draco stood in front of her with a horrified look in his face, he hadn't meant to upset her.

"It's more complicated than that, it's not that I don't want to, I do. It's just-"

A loud scream erupted through the Forest making all of the hairs on the back of Hermione and Draco's neck stand on end and interrupted whatever Draco was going to say. Fang immediately ran off into the distance and Hermione went after him. For a moment Draco considered leaving the Forest but realized he didn't know the way alone so instead he ran after them. "Stupid Gryffindor's always running towards the danger," he mumbled under his breath.

When they arrived at the location of the screaming they realized the source of the noise had been Ron who was still trying to calm down as Hagrid and Harry stood talking to a Centaur.

"What happened Ron?" Hermione asked. He didn't take his eyes away from the unicorn which lay dead on the floor in front of them.

"Harry found the unicorn and strayed off when he noticed a figure leaning over the body. I turned to see where he was and saw him on the floor holding his scar whilst the figure made its way to him. I screamed and a Centaur came running and so did Hagrid, and now you're here," he answered and turned to Hermione, immediately screwing up his face, "Wearing Malfoy's cloak?"

Hermione blushed and took it off passing it back to Draco without looking at him, still angry with their conversation from moments ago. "I got very cold, just a temporary solution. I'm warm now though."

Ron eyed Draco and then glared at him. Needless to say there was no love lost between the two boys.

"Lets get back ter the castle, come on," Hagrid's voice made the three of them jump as nobody had realized he'd headed back to the group with Harry.

Fang shot out in front and lead the way, Hermione stormed off after him eager to get back to the castle. This left Harry and Ron glaring at Draco wondering what he had said to the girl that made her march on.

Hermione had finally gotten herself warmed up and was lying in bed when she noticed a small light on her bedside table. Opening one eye she saw it was a note and knew exactly who it was from and ignored it. However it burned brighter the longer she left it; she really had to find out how he sent notes the way he did. Through fear of waking up the rest of the room, Hermione opened the note.

'Our conversation from earlier isn't over.'

She shook her head. It wasn't a conversation she wanted to have again, she knew being friends with him was going to be difficult but she hadn't realized that his misguided beliefs would be a benefactor to that,

'There's nothing more you can say. You've made you're feelings very clear,'

She sent the note and waited a few moments before realizing there wasn't going to be a reply and turned to go to sleep. Her stomach had done a flip in the Forest when Draco had told her that they shouldn't be friends. She had heard about prejudice wizards and their beliefs, she had even read about it in the book that Draco had recommended. But Hermione never thought she would have experienced it first hand. She considered him a friend and he had basically told her that he wasn't supposed to be friends with her because she wasn't as good as him. She fell asleep with a pit in her stomach as she tried to understand why she wasn't good enough in the eyes of certain families in the magical world.

Meanwhile in the Slytherin common room Draco scrunched Hermione's note into a ball in his fist and sighed deeply.

"Sending love notes to your girlfriend?" Blaise teased Draco.

He glanced at the boy sitting by the fire but Draco's face remained expressionless. He was too frustrated and conflicted to find a witty comment to bite back with so instead he stared at him. He didn't realize that his the lack of emotion in his face only made Blaise feel more on edge than his usual glare would have.

"I was joking mate, chill," Blaise said before looking at the fire.

Draco stood up and threw the note in the fire and stormed off towards his bedroom.

"Whats got your knickers in a twist?" Blaise shouted to him and before Draco could stop himself, the anger that had been bubbling since the forest started to flood out of him.

"I think you've been spending too much time with Pansy because all you seem to want to do these days is talk about feelings! Stop acting like a fucking girl Blaise! There's nothing wrong with me. I've just had to spend detention with the Golden Trio in the Dark Forest! You go do that and come back all sunshine's and rainbows!" He spat and Blaise looked petrified in his seat.

Within minutes Draco realized that his little outburst was unnecessary and aimed at the wrong person. Rather than admit he did wrong, he wandered off to bed hoping he would wake up in a better mood and perhaps get an opportunity to explain himself to Hermione tomorrow.

~x~

The next morning Hermione made her way to breakfast with Harry and Ron who were now more than ever eager to find out about the Philosophers stone and were running out of ways to find out information. She sat at the table picking at her food when she felt a familiar burning in her pocket. Looking towards the Slytherin table she noticed Draco was looking at her. She couldn't bring herself to ignore the note now that she had made eye contact with him so she pulled it from her pocket.

'Go to the west of the 7th floor, follow the corridor down to the bottom and turn right. You will see a statue of a dragon with a black veil behind it, walk behind the statue through the veil and down the pathway until you find the door. Meet me in there at 12 o'clock'

She looked up after reading the note and Draco was gone.

"Whats that Hermione?" Harry's voice brought her back to the Gryffindor table and she realized both Harry and Ron were looking at her curiously with the note in her hand.

"It's just a list, of things I need to remember to take home with me. I need to pack for tomorrow," Thankfully, the boys believed her and they continued to discuss their plan for the trap door. Once breakfast was finished the group of three went outside to enjoy the snow that lay over the ground for Christmas. Hagrid was carrying a huge Christmas Tree over his shoulder into the castle leaving a trail of snow behind him.

"This is the first Christmas I'm actually looking forward too," Harry spoke, gaining confused expressions from his friends, "Christmas at the Dursley's wasn't very festive for me. I'd stay in my room for most of the day until evening came around and they had finished most of the food and had opened all of their gifts. Then I'd be allowed to pick through the left overs to make up my dinner and I'd sit in the room watching Dudley play with his toys. Sometimes I'd be given some of Dudley's old toys but once he figured out I had them he wanted the back again. This year I don't have to think about them and I can spend it in my real home!"

This story tugged on Hermione's heart strings and she really felt for her friend. She thought she had lived a sheltered life, only having found out she was a witch 2 weeks before starting school and having no siblings to play with, but Harry had the sheltered life. He didn't have parents, he hadn't known for 11 years that he was one of the most famous boys in the Wizarding world. He had a whole community of people who cared for him before they even knew him.

She gave Harry a quick hug and apologized for being so soppy before she excused herself to go and pack her suitcase. The boys didn't question it nor should they, it wasn't a lie. She headed back to the Gryffindor common room and grabbed her suitcase to pack for Christmas break. Once she finished packing she gave the room a look over once more and noticed a new book was on her desk in replace of the one Draco had recommended for her when she started school. This one was much smaller with a brown cover and the words 'Beauty and the Beast' written across the front in silver writing.

Hermione knew this story well, it was one she had grown up with. In fact, she often saw similarities between herself and Belle and wondered if she would ever find her beast. What a strange book for Draco to recommend, especially considering it was written by a muggle Hermione thought. She put down the book and readied herself to go and find the room Draco had told her to meet him in.

As she headed towards the stairs her stomach was twisting and her heart started to race. She could already feel herself bubbling at whatever it was that Draco was going to say to her. She couldn't imagine a way he would be able to rectify this situation, he had made everything pretty clear already. She reached the top of the stairs and onto the 7th floor, a floor that wasn't used very often as there were no classrooms but only storage cupboards. As instructed she followed the corridor down to the end and spotted a statue of a sleeping dragon with a black veil behind it. Hermione continued passed the Dragon and through the veil, down a dark narrow corridor until she found a door.

It was all very well hidden. She wondered if he hadn't told her about this place if she would've ever figured out it was there. Hermione pushed against the door and found Draco inside sitting on a window seat looking out. The door squeaked the more she pushed into the room making Draco's head snap round to look at her.

A moment of shock flashed across his face which was soon followed by relief. "You came."

"It didn't sound like you were asking me to meet you here, more like you were telling me," she pointed out bluntly.

He smirked and wandered over to the sofa which was near the fire. Hermione took this opportunity to look around the room. The shelves were stacked high with books and there was a large window looking out into the lake and Forest with a seat built in. Hermione could picture herself sitting at the window looking out onto the lake whilst reading. In the centre of the room there was a table with chairs and piles of stationary. Finally, to the side of the room, there was a fire with a sofa in front of it where Hermione noticed Draco was looking at her.

"Well, I'm here. So what do you want to say?" She moved to sit by the window so that she could get a better view of what the seat looked out on. She heard Draco's feet move towards her as he joined her sitting by the window.

"It's not easy for me Granger. I've grown up in a prejudice household, raised to believe that anyone who didn't come from a pure-blood family was beneath me. Dirty. And then I came here and on the train I met you. At first I didn't know your blood status, only that you were eager to learn and had read a lot of books. When you left, Blaise pointed out that you hadn't mentioned your last name and that should've been the first clue. I read your notes in your book and your knowledge blew me away. If you were anything less than pure-blood you already knew as much if not more than me about the world that I've grown up in. It confused me and I had to find out more about you," Draco paused to catch his breath.

Hermione sat intently listening, wondering where he was going with it but she knew one thing, she already didn't like his family.

"That's when I started messaging you, I also thought the books would be a great way for you to see that there are horrible people in the magical world there are some people born into horrible families that cannot help it. When I said we shouldn't be friends I wasn't saying I didn't want to be. I was saying that if my family knew... Well let's just say my fathers form of punishment will be very different to yours. Your friends will have heard of my family, the darkness that comes with the name Malfoy. I will admit I do get some sort of thrill in the fear that the name Malfoy brings to people but my last name doesn't define me. I'm still trying to understand how everything I've been taught growing up might not be 100% factual.. but I want to be friends with you. That's why I gave you the second book."

Hermione gave herself a moment to process everything he had just said. Could she be angry with him for being born into a family of bigots? He couldn't choose his family any less than she could. Would she only be stooping herself to his family's level by judging him for who his parent were, was that not the same thing? "Why Beauty and the Beast? It's about a man who falls in love with someone to break a curse, it can hardly relate to this situation, unless you telling me you're in love with me that is," she teased and gained a blush from him.

"No obviously not! But he starts out as a bit of an ass and then ends up changing his views."

"He still remains an ass, he just found someone who could put up with him."

"I could live with that," he grinned and Hermione shoved him slightly.

"So this is it then? This is what we have to do if we want to see each other? If we want to be friends we have to sneak off?"

Draco put his head down and sighed, he didn't like it anymore than she did but there was no other way, she had to understand that. "Unfortunately. But nobody else knows about this place and you have to either be a Malfoy or invited by one to get in.. so this is our place," he halfheartedly smiled at her.

It gave her a warm fuzzy feeling know that this was their place. "Do you have to be here for me to get in or now that I'm invited, will I always be able to come in?"

"Already kicking me out Granger?" He chuckled and repositioned himself. "No you'll always be allowed in. I have to specifically uninvite you. Feel free to come here whenever you want."

Hermione smiled to herself and looked out of the window. This was her new favourite place. The views were spectacular and she could see herself getting lost in a book here. Which reminded her, "You do realize Beauty and the Beast was written by a muggle?"

"I'm aware. When I was little my mother took me to visit one of my Aunt's. She had an eclectic taste in books and I remember being fascinated with that one in particular. The cover looked inviting and I took it. I intended on borrowing it but my mother and Aunt argued that day. She married a muggle, you see, and obviously our family.. well you know the situation. But I never saw her again and I ended up keeping the book and I enjoyed it. I've read a lot of books written by Muggles since. My parents don't know and I'll never admit it to anyone else but there are a lot of great books written by muggles."

Hermione nodded in agreement. She could see that deep down Draco didn't have the same views has his parents and that was something he struggled with. He clearly idealised them and yet he didn't share the same beliefs.

"Are you going home for Christmas?" He asked her, bringing her back to reality.

"I am, which reminds me I need to go and pack."

Draco's face fell slightly as he realised this was good bye for now, "After Christmas, we will meet again. I'll send you a note," he nodded and she headed to the exit.

"Merry Christmas Draco," Hermione spoke before she left.

He stood frozen in the room, his name sounded so different coming from her mouth. It rolled off her tongue and sent shivers down his spine. He knew becoming friends with Hermione could get him into all sorts of trouble, but he couldn't stop himself. Hermione made her way to the great hall to say her goodbyes to Harry and Ron before Christmas break. Both were engaged in a game of Wizards Chess when she got there, she never did understand the game and thought it was quite barbaric. "Seeing as you're staying here over Christmas you can help Harry look in the library for books on the Philosopher's Stone."

Ron pulled his face at her and turned to Harry, "But we have already looked at every book there is!" He complained.

"Not in the restricted section you haven't."

Harry smirked at the excitement in Rons eyes. Anything to do with rule breaking and Ron was interested, he had learned that from his brothers Fred and George.

"Hope you both have a lovely Christmas. Try not to get into too much trouble whilst I'm gone."

"Don't worry, you're not here so we won't get caught the time," Ron winked at her as he said it and turned back to his game. "Have a good Christmas Hermione. See you after the break."

~x~

The train wasn't half as full as it was coming to Hogwarts at the beginning of the year. Not as many students traveled home for Christmas which surprised Hermione as she sat in a carriage on her own reading Beauty and the Beast. Midway through her journey she decided to give her eyes a rest and put the book down, only then did she noticed someone had joined her cabin.

"When did you get here?"

"Don't worry, just now," Draco smirked at her, "I just wanted to see how you were getting on with your book, and say bye to you before the holidays."

"We've said bye already, and I've read the book before, however, I'm enjoying reading it again."

He nodded and looked out of the window. Hermione couldn't figure out what kept bringing him back to her but she didn't question it. She just decided to go with it, "Won't your friends wonder where you are?"

"There's only Crabb and Goyle and between them, there isn't a working brain cell so I think I'm pretty safe for a little while. Besides, trying to read while they're are eating and just breathing is difficult," he waved his book in the air at her, "So don't let me disturb you. I simply went to find a quiet place to read and I've found the perfect place," He put his feet on the seat, leant back and opened his book.

Hermione smiled to herself and went back into her story, comfortable with the silence, this was something she couldn't do with Harry and Ron. When she read around them she had to tune out their conversations and sometimes it was nice to have their chatter as background noise but mostly it was nice to sit in silence with someone whilst both got lost in the story.The familiar chime of the 15 minute warning echoed through the train and Hermione put down her book realizing that Draco had fallen asleep. She sat for a moment and watched him while he slept. How could someone who was trying so nice to be her friend have grown up with people who hated everything she was?

She reached over and gently touched his arm, stirring him from his sleep, "Draco, we're nearly at Kings Cross."

His eyes shot open and he sat up immediately, the sudden movement made Hermione jump and sit back down. He stared at her for a moment before standing up and straightening his robes, "Have a good Christmas," he said without looking at her and left the cabin before she had chance to say anything back.

The train arrived at Platform 9 3/4, parents were on the platform waiting to collect the children and Hermione spotted hers in the distance. She climbed off the train and grabbed her suitcase and practically ran over to her parents. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed them until she saw them both on the platform. Her dad was the first to run toward her and pull Hermione into his arms, lifting her in the air as he hugged her tightly. After he put her down her mum followed with a firm hug, this was the longest the Grangers had ever been apart.

"Are we ready to go?"

Hermione allowed herself a few moments to glance around the platform and she spotted Draco with his parents. Draco didn't receive the same reception Hermione had gotten, his mother gave him a small hug and his father patted him on the shoulder before he lead the way off the platform, Draco and his mother following behind. Something told Hermione she was going to have a very different Christmas to Draco. Hermione turned back to her parents to smile and nod at them as they all walked together off the platform. Hermione was excited to get back to the comforts of her home and tell her parents all about her new school.. minus some details, of course.

**Author note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	4. Four

1991 - First Year

Hermione arrived at her house and could smell her mums cooking the second she walked through the door. It was a comforting smell that made her feel at home.

Hermione and her dad made their way into the living room whilst her mum went to put in a pot of tea, _some things never change_ Hermione thought. Her dad sat, eagerly waiting to hear all about her new school. Once the Granger's were all settled in the living room, she wasted no time in telling them all about Hogwarts. She told them the kind of lessons she was taking and how she was the top of her class for most, if not all, of her classes. She even told them about her disinterest in flying but left out the fact that she had detention. She told them about how she had made friends with Harry and Ron. Hermione's dad pulled his face slightly when he registered they were both boys but she ignored it and carried on. She then told them about Draco and how they had become friends but it was difficult.

This was something her parents struggled to understand and her mum couldn't help but feel offended by it, "So they don't like the fact that we are non magical?"

Hermione nodded at her mums question, she could see the hurt in her eyes. It wasn't something Mrs. Granger had expected, to be ridiculed because she was born without magic.

"Some wizarding families believe that all families that aren't pure are dirty. For example, Harry's parents were both magical, but Harry's mum was like me. Ron's family are actually pure-blood, however they associate with Muggles therefore they are classed as blood traitors in the eyes of real pure-bloods. Draco was raised in one of those families, but he's trying to understand. I've obviously confused him."

"Well you are special sweetheart," Hermione's mum responded and put her hand on her arm to comfort her. "What a poor boy, to grow up in that kind of household. It sounds awful and very lonely!"

Hermione could only nod as she fidgeted with her hands, she didn't want to think too much about it. Thankfully her dad always could pick up on whether or not she wanted to discuss something and quickly changed the subject. "Tell us more about Harry and Ron."

She smiled and went into great detail about Ron and his family, his 3 brothers that also attended Hogwarts, along with the 2 that had already left. There was also a sister who would start next September who she was eager to meet. She then went on to tell her parents Harry's story. They didn't find this one as happy as Ron's' and Hermione's mum almost cried when she reached the part in the story where Harry told her about his Christmas with the Dursley's.

"The magical world is a lot darker than I imagined. I don't know what I expected when you started this school but I know it wasn't this."

"Do remember dad, the war was years ago. Just before I was born, and that man is gone now thanks to Harry so there isn't anything for you to actually worry about now. I just wanted to tell you his story," Hermione shrugged her shoulders and picked up the cup of tea her mum had poured for her. Hermione had gotten so used to the magic surrounding Hogwarts and the spells that performed every action for her that she almost forgot how to make herself a cup of tea the muggle way.

The Grangers continued to discuss the wonder that was Hogwarts; Hermione even showed her parents some of the spells she had learned as well as the rules that came with casting magic outside of school. After a few hours Hermione's parents started to fill her in on anything she had missed out in since she went to Hogwarts, it was only then she realized there were no Christmas decorations around the house. "Where's the tree?"

"We haven't got one yet. You didn't think we would go tree shopping without you did you? It's a tradition that you pick the tree and we decorate together!" Her dads words filled her with warmth. She really was so happy to be home.

~x~

Malfoy manor had a very different atmosphere to the Grangers when the family arrived home. Mr. Malfoy made his way into the study immediately after walking through the door, whilst Mrs. Malfoy and Draco made their way to the kitchen.

"I had Dobby make up some of those cakes you like," she told Draco as they sat at the table.

He didn't hesitate before stuffing his face with the cakes. Draco's parents loved him dearly and they would go to the end of the earth for their son, however pure-blood families showed their affections differently. Sometimes he wished they would be a little more loving, but he'd grown used to it by now. It was simple gestures like the cakes he sat eating that made him aware of his mother's love even if she didn't say it.

"How has school been? How're you classes? Your father and I were thrilled you were sorted into Slytherin. There was never any doubt of course."

"Schools fine, classes are good. It would all be better if Saint Potter wasn't there but there's not a great deal I can do about that. He gets away with everything and everybody treats him like he walks on water."

"Don't worry Draco. His time will come," Mr Malfoy said as he entered the room making Draco stiffen slightly, "Now it's my turn to ask a question. Why are you not the top of your classes?"

Draco gulped and bowed his head down, he couldn't bring himself to look at his father when he answered him, "I've tried. I study really hard and I'm doing everything right.. I'm just not the best."

"And who is?"

"Some witch in Gryffindor."

"Some witch? Say it Draco, tell us who is better than you in all of your subjects."

Draco looked up at his father as he realized, by the snarl in his voice, that he already knew the answer. He struggled to move his mouth and use his words which only infuriated his father more. Mr Malfoy slammed a fist down on the table making everybody jump and Mrs Malfoy turn to her husband.

"Lucius please, is this really necessary?" her voice was but a whisper that her husband ignored.

"I'll answer then shall I? Hermione Granger is beating you at everything. She's the reason you aren't the top of your classes and if that wasn't bad enough she's a filthy Mudblood!" Lucius snapped. Draco scowled at his father and the language he used to describe his new friend.

"I don't understand why her blood status has anything to do with it," Draco responded to his father as anger flashed across his face before he yelled back.

"It has everything to do with it! She is an abomination to the wizarding world and she is proving to be more knowledgeable and skillful in something that is your birth right. Not hers, yours! She doesn't belong in this world and you're letting her embarrass you and by extension embarrass the Malfoy name! She is a vile, poor excuse for a witch!" Lucius had just finished shouting at Draco when he mumbled under his breath, not quite quiet enough that his father didn't hear,

"She doesn't seem that bad to me."

With that his father rose from his seat and his mother paled, "Narcissa, if you'll excuse me. Apparently I have to give Draco a refresher history lesson as he appears to have forgotten what it means to be a pure-blood and a Malfoy ," The calmness in his voice made every hair in Draco's body stand on end.

His mother couldn't bring herself to look at either of them and instead she turned her head away to look out of the window, tears pooled in her eyes.

"Father I don't think that-"

"SILENCE!" Lucius shouted and moved swiftly around the table to grip Draco by the scruff of his neck.

He proceeded to drag him out of the kitchen and down the hallway until eventually they stopped outside a room that was all too familiar to Draco. He was never allowed in the room growing up, but on the odd occasions where his father had left the Manor, he would find himself exploring the room with Blaise. The only theory they had managed to come up with was that it was his fathers torture room and this was where he had been led.

"Open the doors!" Lucius yelled at his son who obliged immediately.

As soon as he stepped foot in the room his whole body turned cold. The doors slammed shut behind him and he jerked at the noise, spinning to look at his father who was raging towards him. In one swift movement Draco found himself physically pinned down into a chair, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just confused that's all, she's clever and it intrigued me-" Draco hadn't managed to finish his sentence before he felt the cold, harsh slap from the back of his fathers hand connect with his cheek.

"You listen to me. Any witch or wizard that is ANYTHING less than a pure-blood does not deserve their magic! We deserve our magic. We come from a very very long line of witches and wizards who have ensured that our blood remains pure, as does our magic. Those that choose to mate with Muggles are not deserving of their magic. Those who are born with magic and have Muggles for parents are an abomination and those pure-blood's who decide to contaminate their line by affiliating with any of the above are nothing more than blood traitors!" Lucius was snarling so close to Draco's face it was becoming painful for him to lean away. His cheek still burning from the earlier attack, "You are none of those things and I will not have you questioning whether or not this Granger girl is a nice person or not. She could be the nicest person you will ever meet but she is a filthy Mudblood and NOTHING will change that. I will not have you ruining generations of pure-blood's on a simple curiosity! Do you understand!?"

Draco remained frozen in his chair unable to speak, a low growl rippled in his fathers throat as he gripped Draco's hair and threw him to the ground.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

This time Draco found his words, "Yes sir, I understand," Draco whimpered.

"Good. Now get out of my sight and NEVER question me again."

With that Draco scurried to his feet and ran from the room. He didn't know where he was running too but his feet kept moving and subconsciously his mind took him to his room. He closed the door behind him immediately. He could hear his heart beating ferociously against his chest while he panted, still in shock. He moved shakily over to his bed and sat down as his breathing calmed and his conversation with his father sunk in. He didn't want to dislike Hermione but everything he'd ever known and been taught, told him he should.

Draco almost didn't hear the faint knock on his door. He jumped slightly but relaxed once he saw it was his mother and she was slowly making her way towards him until she sat down on the bed next to him. Narcissa reached out her hand to touch Draco's face where his father had hit him. He flinched slightly as her thumb brushed over the bruise that was forming beneath his eye.

"He worries about you Draco, your his pride and joy. If anything were to happen to you it would ruin him."

Draco scoffed at his mother's words, he found it a little hard to believe that his father loved him so deeply when moments ago he had hit him and threw him down the the ground.

"You can believe it or not but it is true. He just wants the best for you. As do I," she gave him a halfhearted smile before she dropped her hand, "There is something I wanted to teach you. I was going to wait a few years but I feel like now is aa good a time as any. Especially with certain plans being put into motion, I feel like you need to learn as soon as possible."

Draco considered asking what plans his mother was referring too but instead his intrigue to find out what she was going to teach him outweighed his thoughts on the plans.

"Have you ever heard of Occlumency?" She asked Draco, who simply shook his head to indicate he had not, "there are many witches and wizards who perform Legilimency to access someone's mind. It's like reading their thoughts and the victim can do nothing about it unless they have the ability of Occlumency," Narcissa shifted so that she was looking more directly at Draco who's interest had peaked, "I mastered the art of Occlumency at a young age, before I married you father. I felt that it was vital given our relationship with the Dark Lord, as loyal as we were, there were still things I liked to keep to myself. He was a very skilled Legilimens so I needed to have mastered it to be able to keep my mind shut off around him. It infuriated him and I imagine that aided to his suspicions on our loyalty.. But, never the less, I would like to teach you so that if the time comes you can keep someone out of your mind. You can stop someone from accessing something that could be used against you. It won't be easy and it will involve me searching through your mind which will be both physically and mentally draining and sometimes painful, but we need to do this Draco. One day it could save you," Narcissa's voice broke as she finished her explanation.

Draco wasn't quite sure how to feel. He had so many questions as to why his mother felt it necessary to keep things from the Dark Lord and who had taught her in the first place. He also wondered why she felt it was essential that he must learn now. What did she know that she wasn't telling him?

"When do we start?" Draco asked his mother and she smiled slightly at him, thankful he wasn't going to fight her on this.

"Tomorrow. Your father has some business to take care of in the morning, we will start then," she moved to give Draco a kiss on the forehead and headed towards the door to leave, "Get some sleep, you'll need your energy for tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart," she said as she closed the door.

Draco readied himself for bed, taking a quick glance at his face in the mirror which confirmed that he did in fact have a bruise forming beneath his eye. He just hoped it would be gone before his return to school. He went back into his room and climbed into bed tucking himself in. For a moment he allowed himself to wonder how Hermione's first day home went. Draco knew she would've had a better reception than his.

~x~

Hermione made her way up to her room once she couldn't talk anymore and felt her eyes becoming heavy. She pushed against the door of her room and was happy to discover everything was exactly how she had left it. Changing into her nighty she crawled into bed and curled up cocooning herself in. Before she slipped away into sleep she allowed herself a second to wonder how Draco's first day home had gone, if his parents were just as excited to hear about his first few months as hers were. Something told her they wouldn't have been and he didn't have quite the pleasant welcoming home she did.

Hermione woke the next morning to the smell of pancakes, she was definitely home. She made her way slowly down the stairs and froze when she heard her parents talking about her to each other.

"I don't know Jean, I just worry. This world doesn't seem so wonderful anymore. It seems dangerous and I worry about her in that school alone."

"It's no more dangerous than our world and she's not alone Mark, she has her friends."

"What, the boy who just about lived and the boy who's confused because his family thinks she doesn't deserve to even be alive never mind have the ability to perform magic? Doesn't fill me with much confidence."

"She's the top of all of her classes, she is clever and skillful. We have seen what she can do already and she's only been there a few months. She will be fine, stop worrying."

Hermione heard her dad sigh with defeat and her heart ached slightly. She didn't want them to worry about her, maybe next time she wouldn't divulge so much information and just keep things light. She continued to move down the stairs into the kitchen making her mum jump as she pushed against the door.

"Good morning darling, pancakes?"

Hermione nodded and made her way to sit next to her dad who was still sulking into his morning coffee. Once she sat she leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed with him, "I'll be fine dad, I promise."

He moved his arm and pulled her in for a tight hug. Hermione's dad wasn't a small man, in fact he was 6 foot 3, with broad shoulders and a substantial amount of muscle all over his body so when he hugged Hermione she became lost in his arms, just her crazy hair was visible.

"Let's have some breakfast and then we will go Christmas Tree shopping!" her mother said cheerily.

Hermione pulled out of her dads arms and turned to her plate, she had missed her mums pancakes.

~x~

Draco woke that morning with a headache. His hand went up to his face and he felt where his fathers hand had connected to his cheek the night before, it was definitely bruised. Dragging himself from his bed he headed to the mirror in his bathroom to assess the damage and saw the bright purple ring under his eye. He really did need to learn some proper healing spells.

Draco got himself dressed for the day and headed to the dining room for whatever breakfast the house elves had prepared. When he arrived he was greeted by his mother's warm smile and a newspaper hiding his fathers face.

"Morning sweetheart, sleep well?"

Draco nodded at his mother while he grabbed various kinds off food putting them onto his plate.

"Words Draco, we use words to respond in this house." His father said from behind the Daily Prophet.

"Yes sir. Yes mother I had a delightful sleep, slight headache but we can't have everything."

His mother winced at his reply and his fathers newspaper shifted slightly but Lucius did not bite back, instead he spoke directly to his wife, "I shall be leaving for my meeting at the Ministry in 10 minutes. Weasley is involved so it will no doubt drag over until dinner time, but I shall let you know if it's going to be any longer," Lucius put down his newspaper and stood up from the table, leant over to give his wife a small kiss on the cheek and turned to leave the room.

Just as Draco thought he had forgotten to say his fair-wells to him, he felt a firm grasp on his shoulder, "Be good son," was all he said before he left.

Draco looked at his mother and she held a finger up in the air to keep him silent for a moment longer and eventually they heard the familiar noise of the Floo signifying that Lucius had left for work. "Your father doesn't know about our lessons. He would assume you have something to hide and insist on being the person who teaches you and something tells me you don't want your father rummaging around in that head of yours."

He blushed immediately and imagined his fathers rage if he knew he'd given Hermione permission to enter his family's secret room at Hogwarts.

"I didn't think so. So, once your breakfast has settled we will get started. I must warn you Draco the feeling won't be pleasant but it will be worth it and I have a feeling you will pick up on the technique fairly quickly. I want to have you at the very least being able to muffle the conversations in your memories by the end of the holidays. It'll take much longer for you to master the ability to keep someone locked out entirely," Narcissa finished and picked up her tea turning back to her paper.

Draco had no idea what to expect, what pain to imagine but he knew that if his mother was telling him it was going to hurt, it was definitely going to hurt.

~x~

Hermione wandered aimlessly around the yard of pre-cut Christmas trees, the smell of freshly cut pine and fir filling her nostrils. She smiled to herself as she caught a glimpse of them walking hand in hand as her mum pointed out different trees and her dad nodded in amusement. In his eyes trees were all the same and he never really enjoyed the whole selecting process but he loved his wife and daughter dearly therefore he did it without any complaint. Hermione turned a corner and found the tree she wanted, it was 7 foot tall and 5 foot wide, far too big for their living room. She knew her dad was going to protest but this was the exact shape and plumpness that she wanted so, once they were home, she would simply change the size a little.

"Hermione I told you this wasn't going to fit," her dad said as he struggled to carry the tree into the house.

She held back with her mum giggling as they watched him struggle further and eventually he got it into the living room and stood it up. The tree touched the ceiling and took up most of the free space in the room. Hermione's dad gave her a 'you've got to be kidding me' kind of look and she giggled before pulling out her wand and casting a small shrinking spell that she had learnt in McGonagall's class of Transfigurations. Her parents stood their in awe as the tree maintained it's shape but shrank ever so slightly.

Her mum smiled at her and gently put both hands on her shoulders, "Well done sweetheart."

"Well done!?" Hermione's dad joked, "You could've bloody done that to start with so I didn't have to struggle to carry the thing into the house!" He shook his head in mock disbelief and Hermione laughed at him. She could've, but it was funnier to watch.

Her mother brought the decorations into the living room and Hermione began to sift through them. The tradition in their house was for the girls to decorate everything and her father finished off with the star on top of the tree whilst he watched Cheers on the TV.

"I wonder how magical families decorate their trees," Mrs. Granger said to Hermione while they worked together to wind the lights around the tree.

"Ron said his family do it together. They do most of it the muggle way but there are certain decorations that are magical. He told me about one decoration where Santa is on a broom and he fly's around the room. He said one year his brother George cast a spell on it to follow him everywhere and it did while singing the same Christmas song over and over. Ron face went so red when he told me the story I could see he wasn't over it yet," Hermione chuckled to herself. She had begun to miss her friends and it had only been a couple of days. "He also said that Arthur, his dad, is the one who puts the star on top of the tree so it must be a man of the house kind of thing all around," she smiled across to her dad who was paying no attention at all, shaking her head she carried on putting baubles on the tree.

"You seem quite fond of this Ron character," her mum said smirking and eyeing her skeptically,

Hermione blushed and moved to hide her face behind the tree, "We are just friends mum, that's all."

"Better had be and all!" her dad piped up from the sofa but didn't move his eyes from the TV screen.

"So how does Draco's family do their tree?" Her mum asked innocently.

Hermione hadn't really given it much thought but the Malfoy's didn't seem like the kind of family to decorate their tree together. Come to think of it, she imaged they had multiple trees in a great big house, "I'm not sure mum. I think he lives in a big house. From what I know about the Malfoy's they have a lot of money so they may even have multiple trees, but the idea of decorating the tree themselves.. I imagine that's beneath them. They probably get the house elves to do it."

"House elves?" her mother asked in confusion.

Hermione wasn't sure how to explain this to her mum. The whole house elf situation broke her heart, her mum would no doubt feel the same, "They're just little creatures that work in the homes of magical families."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. Her mum had heard enough about the magical world, she didn't need to learn about the abuse that house elves go through. By the time supper came Hermione was spent. She sat next to her mum on the sofa whilst her dad discreetly fell asleep in his armchair with a Christmas film on the TV. In Hermione's eyes, this was the perfect way to spend her Christmas break.

~x~

Draco finished his walk around the grounds, his cheeks rosy from the bite of the winters breeze as he headed back to the Manor. Shuffling out of his coat he wandered through the house to find his mother, taking in the decorations as he walked. His mother prided herself on the decorations around the manor. Draco never really got involved and the image of his dad hanging ribbons was almost laughable, it was all left down to her mother and she thrived on it. He would usually wake up in the 13th of December and the house would be elegantly decorated, each year looking different to last. It never looked tacky nor over done, and she used always the right amount of decorations that it didn't scream Christmas but there was a subtle hint of festive cheer.

He reached the main living area where the big tree stood next to the fire, it was at least 8 foot tall with deep red and gold decorations. Draco scrunched his nose at the choice of colour but smirked slightly when he thought about the little Gryffindor he had a complicated relationship with.

"Do you like it?" His mother's voice startled him.

"I always love the tree, but you've out done yourself this year. Interesting choice in colour though mother."

She smiled down at him like butter wouldn't melt. A mother's intuition was never something to question. Narcissa made her way to the sitting area and Draco followed, nervous about his first Occlumency lesson.

"I've already warned you that this isn't going to be comfortable and I will have to delve into your mind. More so to target areas that you will need to learn to shield first. Trust me when I say this Draco, nothing I see will ever be repeated or even discussed if you don't want to," her concern settled him somewhat.

He didn't feel as nervous but he still felt anxious about the pain. Draco had learnt to build up a reasonably high pain threshold living with a man like his father, but how could he prepare for the pain caused by his mind being invaded when he wasn't sure what it would feel like? Draco sat back on the sofa and waited for his mother's instructions.

She removed her wand from her cloak and stood up in front of him, "I'd like to say it gets easier but it really doesn't, not unless you learn to control it. I want you to think of something, anything, something real. It has to have already happened, try to relax your mind and focus solely on that one memory. I want you to imagine protecting it, imagine that you're inside your mind and only you can see it nobody else, it's your memory alone."

Hundreds of memories flicked through Draco's mind and he struggled to latch onto just one. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly until just one remained in his head, he thought about his detention in the Forbidden Forest, his conversation with Hermione and how he had started to explain to her why being friends would be difficult. He thought so deeply about this memory that he almost missed his mother pointing her wand at him. Draco closed his eyes and heard her inhale sharply before casting the spell, "_Legilimens_!"


	5. Five

1991 - First Year

Draco's body stiffened the second that his mother's spell hit him. A cold sensation shocked through his body, directly up his spine and lingered in his head. He felt as though his head was being physically smashed into as she broke through the very flimsy wall that was already up. She moved deeper into his mind, it was quick and painful and he knew she was holding back; she was right to do so as the pain he was already in was near unbearable. Narcissa found the memory she'd asked him to focus on, Draco tried to fight it but his feeble attempts did nothing to keep her away from the memory. She watched as her son looked longingly at Hermione while they walked through the woods. Draco wailed as she pushed further into his mind, images flittering across the back of his lids.

_"For once, don't be so stubborn Granger and take the cloak, you'll freeze otherwise." _

He couldn't stop them from replaying in his head.

_"Granger, just so you know.. I didn't actually know you were with those two when I told McGonagall."_

He felt like he was reliving the night again, he felt the same cold he felt that night, he could taste the same frosty taste in his mouth.

_"So if you did know.. would you still have told on us?"_

_"No... Probably not."_

The pain continued and Draco felt like his head was bleeding internally, he pleaded for it to stop but it didn't as he had to watch himself walking through the Forbidden Forest with Hermione's arm linked through his.

_"Are you saying this is the only way we can spend time together?"_

_"Unfortunately." _

His mother scratched deeper, prolonging the memory that Draco so desperately wanted to stop. He didn't want to see the look on Hermione's face again as he shot down their friendship.

_"We aren't supposed to be friends Granger.. That's the point."_

But no matter how much Draco willed it, the memory continued to play before him. He watched himself try to explain that they were different, they were from different backgrounds and types of magical families. He watched her face as she paled and pushed herself away from him in horror, he watched the moment that what he was saying registered with Hermione.

_"I get what you're saying. You're too good to be friends with me. I'd be an embarrassment so you'd rather hide our friendship. I don't want to be friends with someone who is embarrassed to be my friend, I'm worth more than that. I deserve more than that!"_

As the memory came to an end he relaxed ever so slightly, knowing that it was over. However, it was premature, as his mother's exit from his mind was no less painful than her entrance. Draco felt like she was clawing her way out of his brain until all he felt was vacant and numb.

After a few moments he finally opened his eyes and his vision blurred temporarily as he tried to focus on his mother's face. Narcissa stood expressionless as she waited for her son to speak, but it seemed that neither one wanted to break the silence. She didn't quite know how to respond to the memory that she had just watched. It had been exactly the type of thing she wanted him to protect, it was the soul reason she was putting him through it all. He soon realized that he'd slid down the sofa and moved to straighten himself upright and his robes. He rubbed his eyes that, despite the evidence of tears having been there moments ago, they felt like they had set in fire at some point during the spell. His mother felt torn as she stood watching her boy in pain. Her motherly instincts were telling her to ensure that he was alright and take him in her arms to reassure him that even if he didn't feel like it, things would be okay. The practical side of her told her he needed this, he needed to learn and it was going to be different. She can't coddle him forever and dark times were coming, he would need to be tough. That side of her was more dominant, the side of her that wanted to protect.

She cleared her throat to bring Draco's attention back to her, "Ready to try again?" Her voice betrayed her as it wobbled slightly.

Draco nodded despite the throbbing sensation in his head. His mother held her wand up to him and this time he looked determined as she cast the spell.

~x~

Hermione took herself to her bedroom once she finished decorating the house with her parents. After talking with her mum about her friends back in Hogwarts she decided to write to them and see how the hunt for more information on the Philosophers Stone was going.

_Harry,_

_I hope you're enjoying the Christmas holidays back at Hogwarts, I've just finishing decorating the tree with my parents and we are going to watch a Christmas film this evening. Have you been able to go to the library yet and read more books? _

_Can't wait to see you in the new year._

_Hermione. _

Hermione sealed the letter and put it to one side as she wrote another to Ron. This one proved to be difficult as she wasn't quite sure what to say to him, so she kept it short and sweet.

_Ron,_

_Merry Christmas for tomorrow, hope you both have a lovely day. _

_Love,_

_Hermione. _

After sealing his letter she attached them both to an owl that she sent to Hogwarts and turned back to her letter supplies. For a moment she contemplated on sending Draco a letter. Ironically he was the one person she would have plenty to discuss but he was also the one person she knew she couldn't contact safely.. Unless she used a different name.

_Draco_

_How's your Christmas break going? Are you looking forward to tomorrow? I'm nearly at the end of my book, I've really enjoyed reading this one, even if it is the 4th or 5th time reading it. Get your next recommendation ready! _

_Merry Christmas for tomorrow!_

_Love, Pansy Parkinson. _

Hermione signed the letter and realized she had no idea where Malfoy Manor was and even her owl wouldn't once it returned. So instead, she grabbed her wand and cast the spell she had used to send notes to him and hoped it would work. She wasn't too sure if there was a distance cap on the spell, but she sent it none the less. Clearing away her stationary on her desk she grabbed some books and decided to start doing some school work. It didn't matter that it was Christmas Eve, she would still study.

~x~

Narcissa had watched and re-watched the memory Draco had of himself and Hermione wandering through the Forbidden Forest. She had continually watched Hermione's face break alongside Draco's when he had to relive it, time and time again. They had made no progress and she could see her son was losing the will to continue but that he didn't want to quit. He was in no fit state to carry on and they would achieve nothing more if they did, so instead she sat down opposite him and summoned the House Elf.

"Dobby, could you please fetch some tea and some Calming Draught," the House Elf nodded and disappeared, arriving back moments later with the supplies she had asked for.

Narcissa poured Draco a cup, adding the potion and placed it next to him as he sat with his head between his knees at the edge of the sofa. "Draco, try to drink some tea, it'll make you feel better."

After a deep sigh he lifted up his head, his eyes were red raw and his face translucent. Shaking, he grabbed the tea and sipped at it, feeling the effects immediately as his whole body relaxed. "Why couldn't I stop you? I was trying so hard but no matter what I did you kept breaking through."

"It takes a lot of practice. For some people it takes years."

"Years!? Years of that?!"

"It gets easier. The whole point of this is to teach you to block me out completely, remember? Then you won't feel a thing."

Draco nodded although he didn't look convinced. He continued to sip at his tea before he realized it was dark outside, they had been practicing for hours. "I'm going to go to my room for a while. Father won't be pleased if I'm not studying throughout the holidays," He stood up to leave the room but froze as he reached the door. Turning to his mother he contemplated on talking about the memory she had witnessed, but decided against it and turned away.

When he reached his room he dived straight onto his bed, his whole body ached and his head still throbbed. Behind his closed eyes he spotted a glimmer from the opposite side of the room where his desk stood, it was just ever so slightly too bright to ignore. After a few seconds he gave up and went to investigate, soon realizing that it was a small letter glowing like one of the notes he'd sent to Hermione. After opening and reading the letter he was left momentarily confused by the signing of it. The letter hadn't been sent by an owl and referenced a book. It had to be Hermione but it said Pansy at the bottom.

"Draco," The sound of his fathers voice as he burst into the room made Draco jump and attempt to hide the letter.

His sudden movement only made Lucius more curious as he ventured into the room further and snatched the letter from Draco's hand, "Pansy Parkinson?" He read out, raising a suspicious eyebrow at his son.

"Yes sir," Draco responded warily.

"Got yourself an admirer already? You really are a Malfoy," He laughed and discarded the letter back onto the desk. Draco watched as his father moved around his room like he had never been in there before. "I've decided that I would like you to start attending some of my meetings with me. I think you could learn a few things, might toughen you up a little," he said as he pulled a book out of Draco's book case and flicked through the pages.

"I wouldn't be allowed to attend Ministry Meetings would I?"

His father snapped the book shut and placed it back on the shelf as he sighed, "They're not the meetings I was referring to," He looked over at Draco who'd stiffened when he realized he was referring to his meetings with some of the former Death Eaters, "After Christmas I have arranged to go and see Goyle and Parkinson. You will come with me and observe," His word was final, Draco didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Yes sir," was all he managed to muster up to say to his father.

With one last nod at Draco he left his son to wonder what was going on that was making his parents act so differently. He wondered if his mother had anticipated his fathers decision to get Draco more involved in his other work and that had been the reason she decided to start teaching Occlumency. He turned back to his desk picking up the letter his father had believed had come from Pansy and it dawned on him. That's why Hermione had signed it with her name, in case someone found it. A small smile appeared in his lips at her cleverness and he pulled out a pen to reply.

_You've certainly flown through this book, clearly it's one of your favourites. I will have another recommendation for you once we are back at school. Meet me at our spot after we arrive and I shall deliver it in person. _

_Smart thinking on how you sent this by the way. I would never have thought to use this outside of Hogwarts. Maybe you are the brightest witch of our age._

_I hope you're having a good Christmas break. _

_Merry Christmas, Pansy._

_Draco_

Coming to the same realization that he didn't know where she lived, he sent the letter back the way it had arrived. After which he moved his way over to his bed and decided that after his lessons with his mother, he deserved an early night.

A loud crack echoed through the room, startling him as he undressed and readied for bed. Draco turned to see where the noise had come from and spotted Dobby standing in the center of the room holding a tray with a potion on it and some cake. "Dobby? What is this?" He asked as he walked forward.

The House Elf held the tray up a little higher as Draco reached out and grabbed the potion. "Mistress Malfoy asked me to bring you a Sleepless Dream Draught potion and some supper. I hope chocolate cake is ok master Draco," Dobby bowed his head down when he spoke to him, it was something he was used to doing after years of abuse from other Malfoy's.

"Dobby I've told you several times you can look at me when you speak. Yes chocolate is fine, thank you. Is that everything?"

"Yes Master Draco," Dobby lifted his head up and smiled at Draco before disapperating from the room leaving him alone again. He climbed into bed and closed his eyes only briefly, he thought. However after the potion it only took a few short seconds before he fell into a deep sleep.

~x~

Hermione woke up Christmas morning to her mother ringing the little bell they kept at the bottom of the stairs. It was tradition in their house that she wasn't allowed to leave her room until this little bell had been rung. When she was young that would mean that as soon as she heard the bell, she would come bounding down the stairs. Now that she was older she no longer felt the need to run down the stairs and straight to the tree; instead the family had breakfast together before anyone opened any presents.

Hermione made her way to the tree after breakfast and began opening gifts. The first she opened, from an Aunt that didn't know her very well or that she was a witch, was a stationary set and a colouring book which Hermione was grateful for, although, there wasn't much use for the stationary at Hogwarts when she only ever used a quill. She then opened a present from her parents who had gotten her a new bag for her school supplies, one that was bigger and stronger than her last. They also bought her some new books that she was eager to take back to school with her and start reading.

After she opened the rest of her presents and watched as her mum and dad exchanged gifts, she tucked up on the sofa and watched Christmas films on the telly with her dad whilst her mum prepared Christmas dinner. This was how every Christmas in the Granger house went, until they'd had dinner and played a game together and eventually they would all fall asleep with full belly's watching telly in the living room, where Hermione's dad would wake up and carry her upstairs to her own bed. She wouldn't have it any other way.

~x~

Draco woke up on Christmas morning with a little less excitement than Hermione did. He dressed himself and made his way downstairs to the dining room where his mother and father already sat down eating breakfast. His mother gave him a warm smile as he pulled a chair out to sit at the table where as his father continued to read the paper and grunt.

"Merry Christmas darling, did you have a good sleep?" His mother asked so innocently.

He knew why she was asking but chose not to be specific in his answer and instead simply confirmed he had, verbally of course.

"Dobby!" Lucius snapped, making the whole table jump. "Fetch some tea and take it to the living area. We will be moving to there shortly so that Draco can open his presents."

"Yes Master," Dobby replied without looking at him and disappeared from the dining room.

Draco ate his breakfast at his usual pace, he didn't feel the need to hurry. Once he finished eating the family moved into the living area and and Draco found a mountain of presents, but there was one in particular he spotted straight away that couldn't be anything other than a broom. He raced to open the present and discovered it was a Nimbus 2000, he looked over at his mother who was smiling down at him from the sofa, his father had no expression on his face.

"Thank you," Draco said to his parents.

"You'll need to practice on a decent broom if you hope to make the team next year, seeing as Potter was the only first year good enough to make a Quidditch team," Lucius commented. Draco's face fell, a brief moment of joy ruined by his father as usual.

After he opened all of his presents he moved outside to try out his new broom. The air surrounding him was cold and pinched at his cheeks as he kicked off.. He rose high above the Manor and hovered for a moment looking down at his childhood home. He spotted his parents wandering the ground arm in arm just like he did with Hermione in the Forbidden Forest. Draco always found peace when he was flying, it was the only time he was able to clear his head and felt like he had no troubles. He reached inside of his pocket and pulled out a snitch that his father had given to him for his 7th birthday. Holding it in his hand, he watched as its wings unfolded and it fluttered in front of his face before it flew off. He soared down towards the ground, swerving in and out of the trees and back up again to repeat the process, following where ever the snitch took him.

As Draco flew around the grounds of the manor Lucius and Narcissa took a stroll through the gardens, Narcissa's favourite place to be. When they moved into Malfoy Manor, Lucius built the gardens for his wife and promised to always maintain its beauty, for how she saw the gardens was how he saw her.

"Lucius, do you have to be so hard on him? He's just a boy," she squeezed his arm as she asked.

"He's too soft Cissy. The Death Eaters are trying every day to bring back the Dark Lord and if they succeed, he's in for a rude awakening. I want him to be prepared," Lucius spoke softly to his wife.

She sighed and leaned into him. She knew he was right but she hated it none the less, it was basically what she was doing with the Occlumency lessons. "Taking him to Goyle's place though... I just think he's too young, he's still so innocent."

He stopped at the centre of the gardens and moved his wife to face him, "Narcissa, this family is the most important thing to me and I know I don't show it or say it enough, but it's true. I want us all to be prepared. If he comes back there will be another war and we will be in the middle of it. I need Draco to see how bad these people can be. I need him to see that it isn't all just stories, it's all very real. The sooner he realizes that the better."

Narcissa looked up at him as he spoke. She understood her husband on a level nobody else ever would and their love for each other was stronger than anything she had ever seen. She trusted his judgment and had faith that he would do the right thing, but the way he spoke about the likelihood of the Dark Lords return made her stomach turn and her skin crawl. That was the last thing she ever wanted. Lucius cupped her face with his hands and looked deeply into her eyes, her stomach settled and she instantly relaxed as she lost herself in his grey eyes. He moved forward and pressed his lips lightly against hers. It was a soft kiss that lasted only for a few short seconds, but the power behind it was enough to stop Narcissa's world and banish any and all worries she had. Once he pulled away from her they rested their heads against each other and a small smile appeared on his lips, Narcissa was as one of the few people to ever witness her husbands smile and it was her favourite thing in the world.

"Everything will be ok," he told her and she nodded against his head. They moved together toward the house, arm in arm, taking in the Christmas chill.

~x~

Christmas Day was coming to an end, the sun had set and dinner had been eaten. Hermione sat in her cozy living room with her parents, her dad had fallen asleep some time ago in his arm chair and her mum has just drifted off moments ago. Hermione decided to take her gifts upstairs to her room and change into her comfortables. When she entered her room she noticed a letter on her desk that was glowing. She realized it must've been Draco's reply and hurried to open it. Hermione smirked as she read his letter, she could see his grin and hear the sarcasm in his voice as she read the words. She had thought the letter would never reach him but was pleasantly surprised to find that it not only had, but he had also replied. Her heart swelled when she read 'our spot' in his letter. It was theirs, nobody else's, theirs. She took her supplies to her bed and began to write her response when she looked at the clock and realized it was . She should probably go to sleep but she was too awake and wanted to respond. It dawned on her that Harry and Ron hadn't replied to either of her letters, she assumed they were too busy with the task at hand to reply. Draco would also more than likely be asleep by now and wouldn't reply tonight.

_Draco_

_You sound so shocked that I could come up with such a clever idea? You'll learn one day, I'm not as daft as I look! _

_I'm already looking forward to sitting by the window and reading the next book. _

_I'm enjoying the Christmas holidays but I'm itching to get back to school. Hogwarts is so pretty in the snow and I don't want to miss it all! _

_Did you get any interesting presents? _

_Pansy_

She sent the letter off and looked out of her bedroom window wondering where the letter was travelling to. She knew it would be Malfoy Manor but wasn't sure where his house was located. Just a few short moments later a letter appeared on her lap and she rushed to open it.

_You're just full of surprises that's all. You're claiming the window seat then? _

_The snow will be around for a while don't worry. We have months of it yet and by then you'll be wishing for it to go. Especially after one or two snowballs come your way._

_I got a new broom so I've been out flying today. It's my favourite thing to do so I couldn't ask for more really. I don't expect you to understand given you truly are terrible on a broom!_

_Draco_

Hermione laughed to herself. Was he threatening to snowball her? She smiled and wrote herself one last reply before she turned in for the night.

_You'll have to fight me for that window seat, the views are spectacular._

_I hope you're not threatening to snowball me! _

_Everyone's got a weakness, mines obviously flying. I won't entertain it, I'd rather stay rooted to the ground thank you very much. But it's nice to know you're actually good at something.._

_Pansy_

Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she sent her witty response back to Draco, tucking herself into bed and turning back to look out of the window. Within a few short minutes his reply was glowing behind her. She sat up slightly and opened the letter.

_Although I believe I would win that fight, I'm sure there's room for the both of us. _

_Gosh no, I wouldn't dream of threatening you!_

_I'm good at plenty of things, thank you. Stick with me and you'll see!_

_Goodnight Pansy,_

_Draco _

Hermione had butterflies in her stomach as she put the letter on her bedside table. After only a few short months of getting to know him it felt odd of him to be this playful but Hermione liked it. He was suggestive and fun, she preferred this side of him. She rolled over and went to sleep thinking about the room that waited for her back at Hogwarts.

~x~

Draco woke to the sound of a loud crack in the room.

"Master Draco, Master Malfoy has requested that you be up and ready for your meeting today in 30 minutes."

Draco groaned as he sat up in bed, it was still dark outside which meant it was too early, "Thank you Dobby, I'm up," Another loud crack and Draco made his way to his bathroom to shower and dress.

15 minutes later he made his way downstairs to the kitchen where he found a slice of toast and some juice which he polished off instantly.

"Ah, you're up. Excellent," Lucius spoke as he entered the room. If it hadn't been so early in the morning Draco may have been startled but he was still too sleepy to react. "We will be taking to Floo to Goyle's, Parkinson will meet us there."

Draco nodded at his father and swallowed the remainder of his breakfast before he spoke, "Whats the meeting about?" He asked.

"You'll see." There was something about his fathers expression that made him feel uneasy. Never the less, he followed him through the house to the fireplace and stood in together as his father yelled for their destination.

Draco had only ever been over to the Goyle residence a handful of times. Usually when he saw his friend it was in the comforts of Malfoy Manor, which he was grateful for as he wandered through the cold house. Everything seemed dark, the Malfoy Manor wasn't exactly brightly decorated, but this house was more gloomy and dusty. Like nobody lived here.

As Draco headed deeper into the house with his father he remembered that Gregory Goyle's mother had died when he was young which meant there was just him and Goyle Senior, which explained why place looked so unloved.

The shrieking sound of someone in pain brought Draco back to reality as he froze and looked at his father.

"Nobody is going to hurt you Draco but you must observe everything today. You cannot leave until I leave, do you understand? What you see and hear today is not for the fainthearted but I don't want you to react. Emotion is weakness. Do you understand?"

Another scream echoed through the halls making every hair on Draco's body stand on end. He couldn't decide if the scream or the look on his fathers face was worse right now, but the combination made his legs weak. When the screams stopped momentarily, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He looked back to his father with a blank face, less panic, less concern, more determination.

"I understand. After you," Draco gestured to his father. It was difficult to tell in the dimly lit halls but he could've sworn he saw pride on his fathers face.

There was no way for Draco to prepare himself for what was in the room that lay ahead. His fathers words hadn't prepared him, the screams hadn't prepared him, he was walking in blind. Lucius looked back at his son one more time before he pushed the door in front of then open.

"Ah Lucius! Come in come in! We were just having a little fun, care to join?" A man shouted towards Lucius as he walked further into the room. The man was tall and slender with long brown hair and a beard, he walked with grace as he headed over to greet Draco's father.

"You look like you've had all the fun you could've with this one Rufus. Besides, we have important business to discuss," Lucius said very monotone.

Disappointment flicked across Rufus face and in that moment he spotted Draco behind him, "Your brought your boy?"

The words sounded very faint in Draco's ears, like a murmur. His legs had turned to jelly and his stomach flipped. He fought against his stomach to keep his breakfast down, using all of his strength to do as his father had told him, remain emotionless.. But it was proving difficult, for Draco had spotted something to his right, something he hadn't seen when he first entered the room.

That was when another scream happened. There was a woman floating mid air, around the height of Draco's shoulders just a few steps away. She had her legs and arms spread out, he could see one of her arms had small cuts from top to bottom, not enough to be fatal but enough that done with a cursed blade, the victim would be in excruciating pain. Draco's eyes then moved to her other arm where the woman had been shredded and peeled to the point where he could see bone in certain areas. Her dress was torn in various places of her body, including her waist where Draco spotted a smaller, rounder man moving away from her. He was obviously the cause for the third scream. Draco watched as he wandered over to his father and Rufus, straightening his robes in the process.

"Ah, Draco, long time no see. How're you getting on at school?" Draco looked at the man with complete and utter disgust as he'd spoken to him like what he had just witnessed hadn't happened.

Everybody in the room apart from Draco showed no discomfort towards what was happening, showed no shock towards the mangled woman that floated not two feet away from him. Every drip of her blood that touch the floor, every echo of strained breath made his insides burn more and more. He wanted to scream, he wanted to leave and run. He wanted to throw up. Instead he looked at his father, who by now was begging through his eyes for his son to respond, to not let him down.

So Draco swallowed and opened his mouth, "Fine, thank you Mr Goyle. How are things with you? And you Mr Parkinson, how is your family? I met your daughter, did she mention? We've become quite good friends actually," He was quite proud of himself for being able to get the words out without a shake or a crack in his voice.

His father smirked and looked at the other two gentlemen, who where quite taken back by Draco's words. Neither one had expected him to respond so well, "Shall we move into another room? This one smells disgusting," Lucius turned his nose up at the woman as he headed towards the stairs out of the room.

Draco quickly followed behind without a second glance at the woman, grateful for his fathers suggestion as they left that room behind.


	6. Six

_1991 - First Year_

Draco and his father arrived back at the Manor hours later and the second Draco stepped through the threshold he dropped to his knees and threw up. Everything he had witnessed, every conversation he had been privy to hit him at once and his stomach could no longer take it as he emptied it onto the floor of the drawing room. Once he felt like he had nothing left, he dared a glance at his father who he half expected to be looking down on him in disgust but instead he knelt beside him and hovered closely but did not touch him, oddly, Draco found the closeness comforting enough. "Your stomach will become stronger the more you subject yourself to the darkness of this world. I know it wasn't what you expected and I didn't warn you of anything but that's because you needed to see it for yourself, you needed to see how bad it can get. If the dark lord ever returns.. you have no idea what will become of this world," Lucius couldn't bring himself to look at his son as he spoke.

A crack in the room brought the men's attention back to the present, Lucius stood up immediately and left the room. "Master Draco are you sick?" Dobby asked as he rushed over to clear up the mess he'd mad,

"I just haven't eaten a lot today and I think travelling by Floo didn't agree with me on an empty stomach that's all. Don't worry about me I'll be fine,"

"Can Dobby get Master Draco anything? Some food? A drink perhaps?"

"No Dobby, I think I'm just going to go straight to my room, but if you check with me in about an hour I might feel differently," Dobby nodded as he finished cleaning the floor and left the room.

It took a few moments for Draco to bring himself to his feet, his legs still felt like jelly as he left the room. He made his way to his bedroom, passing his fathers study on the way where he could hear raised voices,

"I heard him throwing up the second you got back. This is exactly what I warned you about Lucius! He shouldn't be doing this, he's far too young, and Goyle is a vile man, it's not right that you would force him to experience such harsh realities so soon,"

"Cissy, you didn't see him. He handled it so well, I didn't know what I was walking into as much as he did. When we arrived and the Mudblood was being tortured I half expected him to faint or throw up on the spot, but he didn't. Instead he stood, observed like I asked him too and then when he was asked a question he answered without hesitation. I knew he was struggling inside, he's got as much good in him as he does bad, all he would've wanted to do was run and scream but he stood strong and showed them that he is a Malfoy and he will not be intimidated!"

"He will not go to another meeting for the rest of christmas! You can wait until he's back from school in the summer during the holidays before you drag him to another meeting, and if I see Goyle any time soon!" Narcissa had calmed slightly, she didn't continue her threat, her voice was strong and there wasn't a chance she was having her mind changed about this. Draco couldn't see his parents but he knew from the tone in his mother's voice that his father was not going to argue with her on this. He continued his slow route back to his room, relaxing ever so slightly after over hearing that he wasn't going to have to attend another meeting until he had finished school in the new year.

~x~

It was New Years Eve and Malfoy Manor had been stripped of Christmas decorations and replaced with sophisticated party decorations in preparation for the annual New Years Eve event. Narcissa was working with several house elf's to ensure that everything was perfect for when the guests arrived whilst Lucius had hid away in his study. Draco decided that his father had the right idea to get out of the way and so he packed a bag, grabbed his broom and flew off from the patio across the small lake to the centre island where he was completely alone. This was Draco's favourite place to go at home. Whenever his father had told him off or his friends didn't come round to play, he would fly to this island and spend sometime alone with his books, which is exactly what he intended to do today, only this time he also planned to send a letter to Hermione. He hadn't had any time at all to come to his hiding place since he arrived at home. If he wasn't studying or running errands with his father, he was taking Occlumency lessons with his mother. Something he hated but he knew was a necessary evil. The only progress he had managed to make was to slightly muffle conversations out. His mother could access the memory still and she could see who he was talking to and their proximity but she could no longer understand what was being said. She had told him this was a huge achievement but he didn't feel that it was.

Forgetting about the difficult Christmas break that he had, he took out a quill and piece of parchment and began to write to Hermione,

_Two more days and we are back at Hogwarts, I bet your having withdrawals from lessons, have you been studying everyday? _

_We are having a New Year's Eve party tonight, mother likes to go all out with decorations and party planning, I swear she starts planning the next one on New Year's Day. I'd do anything to get out of it! It's usually a night of me being told how much I've grown from all these people that knew me when I was 'this big' honestly it's painful. What're your plans tonight?_

_Draco_

He perched himself high up in a tree where the views where spectacular, Draco knew that he took advantage of having these views at his fingertips but it never made it any less breathtaking.

After an hour had past and the sun began to set in the distance, a letter appeared on his lap,

_Draco,_

_Of course I've been studying, I wouldn't be me if I didn't, have to study to stay on top. I am looking forward to going back, I've missed the lessons as well as my friends. _

_We don't do anything special for New Year's Eve, some of my family come round and I have to endure the same 'look how big you've gotten' along with advice on how to tame my hair and how despite the fact that my parents work with teeth on a daily basis, mine are an unnatural size, so count yourself lucky! I imagine my night is your worst nightmare, a room full of Muggles, whatever would you do?_

_Family members have started to arrive already so I've taken myself out of the house for a few hours. This is about the only peace I will get before we head back to school. _

Draco chuckled to himself when he read over the comment about her hair. Her hair was the first thing he noticed about her, it was wild with thick curls, there was no order to it and it did whatever it wanted. Whoever these family members were, they weren't wrong. He put the letter down momentarily as he thought about how she missed her friends, he wandered if that was a Gryffindor thing as he hadn't once thought about his friends whilst being at home, in fact she had been the only person he had though about since he left Hogwarts for Christmas break. Of all the people Hermione could've chosen to be her friends, it had to be Harry Potter, the one person Draco found most inconvenient that she could've befriended. But then, it wasn't like she could ever be openly friends with him and his group of Slytherins would hardly accept her, this was his the way it had to be.

He picked up the letter again and read over it once more. Memories of the day he attended a meeting with his father flashed into his head when he read over her comment about her Muggle family once more. In all honesty, Draco wasn't sure how he felt about Muggles. He had been hard wired to believe that they were inferior, that Muggle-Borns were an abomination and yet when he entered the study in the Goyle residence and witnessed a defenceless Muggle being tortured he couldn't quite bring himself to feel ill towards her, the memory of him questioning what motive they had played over in his head as he sat there,

"_Father, why was that woman being tortured?" Draco asked his father as they walked away from the study leaving Goyle and Parkinson behind momentarily. _

_"Because she's a muggle," Lucius said, as though that should be reason enough, but to Draco it wasn't. His father could see the confusion on his face and he continued, "because most Pureblood's believe that it is our right to do what we please to those that are beneath us. She is a muggle therefore she is the complete bottom of the food chain. Goyle gets very bored living in this house on his own, especially now his son is at school, so this is how he occupies his time," he finished. _

_"He does this frequently?!"_

_"Almost daily," Draco could sense his fathers impatience growing but he just couldn't comprehend how what he had witnessed could be deemed normal. _

_"What will happen to her?" He asked, his voice quieter this time as the arrived in a small living room that had a fire that looked like it hadn't been used for over a decade and books that had never been touched filled the walls. _

_"Does it matter?" His father snapped, Draco looked down at his feet. He wanted to know but he didn't want to push his father. Thankfully he answered anyway, "as he does this so often, he needs to be careful not to raise suspicion. Rufus is skilled in memory removal charms, once Goyle has had his fun, Rufus will erase the woman's memory and patch her up back up again, but she like most will never be the same again. She in particular will die within a few weeks due to the trauma her body has been through tonight and that's if the cruse from the blade they've used to peel away her skin or hack at her arm and face doesn't kill her first," Draco hadn't seen the woman's face but he was thankful because what he did see was enough to scar him for life. _

_"How can you be ok with this? I want to be sick," Draco asked Lucius._

_"Although I don't agree with their methods Draco, I agree with their beliefs. I too believe that woman is nothing, she's insignificant, what could she possible bring to this world? She is just a stain, nothing more," _

_"Just because we are Pureblood therefore, according to you, we are better, does not mean we have the right to do as we please to those inferior to us. That woman woke up this morning and imagined she would have a normal day, she could've been anyone, she could've been someone's mother, thinking she would go home to her children. Instead she's been tortured within an inch of her life in ways I don't even want to imagine and is MAYBE going to wake up tomorrow with weeks or days left to live. How is that acceptable? How does that make Pureblood's anything less than monsters," _

_Lucius glared at his son, bubbling with anger that he had defied him once more by speaking out, and in a place where they could be heard. Just as Lucius opened his mouth to respond, the doors opened as Parkinson walked in to join them, Goyle following behind. Draco was trying to wrap his head around his fathers words. That Muggle was butchered because a Wizard was bored, who is the true abomination?_

Draco was brought back to reality when he spotted his mother's Patronus on the ground, informing him that he was to come home. He decided to write one quick letter to Hermione before he did, after all he would see her in a few days.

_I _have a similar hiding spot from my own family, it's a small piece of land in the middle of the lake near my home. If I climb high enough up the tree, the views are almost as good as the infamous window seat, not quite though.

I'm going to head back and face the crowd, I think your wrong though, I'd much rather endure your evening than my own right now.

Happy New Year!

He waited for a moment for a reply from Hermione which arrived almost instantly and was short a sweet. Draco climbed down from the tree and kicked off from the ground heading back to the Manor, mentally preparing himself for the annual party and all of its delightful guests.

~x~

Hermione sat on the train heading back to Hogwarts, staring out of the window at the now dark sky. She had been in the train for a few hours and had expected Draco to have made a visit to her compartment by now and was disappointed that he had not. The door to her compartment slid open and her heart raced before she realised it was Neville, she tried to hide her disappointment,

"Hey Hermione, mind if I sit with you for a little while?" Neville was so polite and sweet that she held a soft spot in her heart for him, he was the type of friend that would do just about anything for you but never ask for anything in return, completely selfless.

"Of course Neville, come in," Neville moved into the compartment and sat opposite Hermione, she could tell that for whatever reason, he was suddenly very nervous around her. "Did you have a nice Christmas?"

"It was okay, by Gran isn't the best person to spend the holidays with but she's the only family I have and I'm all she has so I wouldn't spend it any other way," Hermione's heart sank a little at Nevilles words, she couldn't imagine living a life without her parents and her she now knew two people who had no other choice, "how was your Christmas Hermione?" Neville asked.

"It was lovely thank you. I didn't really do much, just decorated the house, watched a Christmas film and played some games with the parents. We had the rest of the Family round for New Year's Eve which even less interesting and very mind numbing," Hermione chuckled to herself, she really couldn't put into words how infuriating the rest of her family was, the majority of them forgot she even existed the majority of the time which suited her fine.

"Yeah we do the same at New Years except some of Grans friends come round and they all like to remind me of how round I'm getting, Gran says it's just puppy fat," Neville sighed as he looked down at himself. The fifteen minute chime rang through the train and He stood up to leave, "see you later Hermione," he said as he left the cabin. She had gone through the whole train ride without Draco stopping by once, it made her feel slightly paranoid that he didn't want to see her, but she knew they had planned to meet at their spot so she would see him then at least.

~x~

After trudging her suitcase up several flights of stairs, Hermione finally arrived at the Gryffindor common room. An inviting warmth filled her body as she walked through the portrait and saw the familiar deep red drapes hanging everywhere. "Hermione!" Harry said as he ran to give her a hug, picking her up slightly before finally letting go. Hermione turned to Ron and embraced him a smaller, more awkward hug before she stepped back and blushed, "we have so much to tell you!" Harry broke the awkward silence that had formed. Hermione moved her suit case to one side and listened as the boys told her all about the cloak that he had received for Christmas and the mirror he discovered in a classroom as he ran from Snape and Filtch. It was becoming more apparent to Hermione that Harry was going to want to investigate whatever was under that trapped door.

~x~

After a few hours of catching up with the boys Hermione felt it was safe to leave the common room and go to meet Draco. Her catch up had taken longer than she had expected which she assumed would mean Draco might not even be there, but she would go anyway.

She arrived at the statue of the dragon and suddenly felt nervous, but couldn't figure out why. She had spoken to Draco over the holidays and things had been fine, so why did she now feel worried about seeing him. She pushed through the vail that lead to the secret room to discover Draco was sat at the window, his feet stretched out over the seat whilst reading a book. He didn't register that she was there at first, she took advantage of this and had a moment to herself to gather her thoughts before she wandered over to the window to sit beside him. The moment she sat down Draco looked up from his book, flinching from the sudden realisation that he wasn't alone.

"When did you get here?" He asked, clearly still startled.

"Only a few minutes ago. Good book?" She smirked at him. Draco shifted to make more room for Hermione who pushed herself further onto the seat and faced him.

"It is actually. It's about a young orphan boy who befriends a dragon. I haven't read it before, stumbled across it in the library, it's called-"

"Petes Dragon?" Hermione finished. It was one she remembered well from the stories her parents used to read to her. "What is it with your family and Dragons?"

"Of all the magical creatures, which would you say is considered to be the most powerful, most feared, most beautiful and majestic of them all?" He asked her as he put aside his book.

"A Dragon,"

"Exactly, hence the name,"

"The name?" She asked, confused by his statement, he shook his head at her before answering.

"Honestly, and you're supposed to be the brightest which of our age?" He joked, "Draco means Dragon in Latin," this surprised Hermione somewhat. She knew the Malfoy's liked the connection with dragons but she would've never guessed they had quite literally named their son one. "It's even in the school motto, Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" he used his wand to point to the words written across her chest, such an innocent action had her heart racing.

"And what does that mean?" She stuttered, trying so desperately to compose herself.

"Never tickle a sleeping Dragon, which if I do say so myself is some pretty fine advice," Hermione couldn't help but giggle, at the seriousness in his tone.

"Why's that? Are you ticklish?"

"No," he answered all too quickly.

"I think you're lying, you wouldn't lie to me would you Draco?" He blushed and shifted in his seat, she knew he was lying and in one swift movement she dived towards him, he tried to block himself from her but instead ended up falling onto the floor and pulling her down in the process. She pushed herself up so she was knelt at the side of him, her hands moved up the sides of his ribs, and he rolled around in fits of laughter, begging for her to stop, but she continued as she laughed with him. Eventually he gripped her wrists so tightly she couldn't break free from his grasp, but not too tight that he caused her pain. He took a moment to regain his breath before he let go of her, still panting slightly as she walked away from him to sit back at the window.

After a couple of minutes he stood up and straightened his robes, moving back to the window seat, slightly closer to Hermione than he had been before, playfully scowling at her as she still giggled.

"So aside from what you've already told me, how was your Christmas?" Draco's face fell slightly at her Question, he didn't know what to tell her, how much to tell her if anything at all, "that bad?" She laughed until she realised by his face that he was being serious, "you can tell me Draco. Im not going to tell anyone," he wasn't sure why, but he trusted Hermione completely. He had known her for just a fraction of the time he had known his Slytherin friends for and yet he considered her a closer friend than the others. Hermione was still so innocent, pure in different ways, he didn't want to taint that by telling her about his dark Christmas, what he had witnessed.

"It's not exactly a joyous occasion in my house, so it wasn't great," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I received a stern telling off for not being the top of my classes," he smirked at Hermione who blushed at the realisation that she was at the top.

"But why is that an issue?" She asked him.

"Because Malfoy's are supposed to be the best, never mind being bested by.." Draco realised what he was about to say but managed to stop himself before he did. Hermione hated that it was something he would've said so naturally, but at least he was noticing and making a change.

"A Mudblood," she finished it for him.

"His words, not mine! I don't care if I'm honest,"

"He actually said this to you? You don't need to be at the top to be amazing. I'm book smart. It's in your blood, I have to make up for not being raised on it. You have so much more experience and knowledge than I do, you're better.. just not on paper," she said said sheepishly, she tried to compliment him but she wasn't sure it would be taken that way, the second she saw his smirk she knew he understood.

"I don't need my ego to be stroked Granger, I well aware I know my shit. My father just wants me to be at the top, but that's something he's going to have to let go of. That's exactly what he said, and then some,"

Hermione froze, she wanted to know what the 'then some' was referring to, but how to asked was the question.

"What do you mean Draco? How did he react?" She could see by the way his eyes averted hers that he didn't want to answer the question.

"Let's just say my father doesn't shy away from physical disciplinary action,"

"He hit you because a muggle born was above you in class.." Hermione couldn't believe what she was saying, she didn't want to believe. She suddenly remembered the joke she made over Christmas about how studying would ensure she stayed at the top and felt awful. She was beginning to understand why Draco was so weary about becoming friends with her and hated the situation even more. Draco didn't respond, instead he fiddled with his fingers and avoided looking at her. She knew the signs from her own actions when she didn't want to talk about something.

"Did you get much time to try out your broom?"

Draco turned his head to Hermione in awe. He couldn't understand how someone he had only known for a few short months could read him better than quite possibly anybody he knew.

"Yes I did, I practiced chasing a snitch my father bought me a few years ago. He wants me to make the Slytherin team next year so I need to keep practicing. I love flying, I feel so free from everything. I know you're scared of flying, but you'll have to come out with me one day, I promise I won't let you fall,"

Hermione's stomach turned at the thought of being up in a broom without being in control and there wasn't a part of her that liked the idea of it, even if it was with Draco.

"No, not happening," Draco chuckled at her and shook his head,

"We will see," he smirked at her. Hermione positioned herself to look outside once more, her eyes moving towards the sky as she thought about being up there on a broom. Draco allowed himself a moment to observe her, it was only then that he noticed how closely they'd sat after she attacked him, their legs were touching and his hand that rested in his knee was almost touching her. He felt so comfortable and so at ease with Hermione around that he almost didn't want to leave their little room.

~x~

"Hermione, I really can't figure out what Flitwick wants from us with this Charms homework," Ron complained. Hermione was his go-to with homework, he wasn't the brightest wizard and once he had gotten over his wounded ego he started asking her for help whenever he was stuck, or left something to the last minute.

"Would you like me to help you with the opening paragraph?"

"Yes please!" He batted his eyelashes and she smirked at him. She couldn't understand what it was about him but she had a soft spot for him. Harry observed the pair and shook his head as he continued with his own essay. Ron moved himself from the other side of the table in the Great Hall to sit beside her whilst they looked over the work that Professor Flitwick had given the, the proximity made Hermione uncomfortable and she couldn't fathom why. If Harry was this close she wouldn't think anything of it and when she sat at the window beside Draco they had been touching and she couldn't have felt more at ease. But with Ron, Hermione felt clammy and her heart faced ever so slightly, in a different way it did when she was around Draco.

"I want to see what's under the trapped door," Harry spoke after a couple of hours of studying went by.

"How are we going to do that? You've seen that dog, it's huge! We would be dead before we even got near it," Ron protested.

"I bet Hagrid knows a way,"

"Yes and how're we going to approach that one? Hagrid, you have a slight obsession with weird creatures, ever had any dealings with a three headed giant dog?"

"No Ron, maybe not like that. But he is the best person to ask and I think someone's making a move on trying to get to the Stone,"

"But who? Who here is crazy enough to even attempt trying to get past that dog? Besides us of course,"

"I don't know.. but I just have a feeling," Harry finished as he felt his scar. Hermione had noticed he had done this a few of times this year, she hadn't yet figured out the connection but there was certainly something that caused his scar to hurt on occasion.

~ x ~

"Draco, come sit with me," Pansy whined as he joined the Slytherin table. He didn't particularly want to sit next to her but he couldn't see any other available space so he moved begrudgingly to sit beside her.

"How was your Christmas break? It was so boring without you," her voice sent shivers down his spine, not ones he enjoyed.

"Speak for yourself Pansy, I quite enjoyed it," Blaise smirked at Draco, "when she wasn't pinning after you of course. Honestly I didn't even have chance to notice you was gone, Draco this and Draco that," Blaise mocked which earned his a jab in the ribs from a crimson Pansy.

"Christmas was fine. Father had me attending meetings with him. Your father told me to send his regards," He told Pansy, Blaise's face screwed up as he realised what Draco's words meant.

"Your father took you to Parkinson's? For what reason?"

"No he actually took me to Goyle's. Rufus was just there. I told you what for, to attend their meeting,"

"But why would they want you there? What use would they have with you?"

"Now now Zabin, try not to sound too bitter. They obviously see potential in me and what to start getting me involved sooner rather than later," Draco smirks at Blaise's clear irritation as he huffed in disbelief,

"Or you're the weak link and they're trying to toughen you up," Blaise retorted. The friendship between the two boys was an unusual one. They had grown up together and would consider themselves to be best friends for all intensive purposes, but they argued and fought over almost everything. They were more like brothers than friends. Draco snapped at Blaise's words as he launched across the table and gripped Blaise's robe, Blaise simply smirked as Draco lost his cool and tried to punch him but before his fist connected with his face, Crabb had his arms around him and Goyle had moved to Blaise, tearing them both away from each other.

"Boys, settle down, you're going to get us into trouble," Pansy's shrill voice broke the glaring contest they had started after sitting themselves back down.

Meanwhile over at the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron and Hermione has witnessed the show between the Slytherin first years,

"Goyle shouldn't have grabbed Zabini, I would've loved to have seen someone crack Malfoy, the slimy Git," Ron said, Harry nodded in agreement. Hermione chose not to comment and turned her head back to her studying, 'boys will be boys' she thought.

**Author Note:**

**Thank you all for the comments. It's interesting to see what everyone is thinking after each chapter. Keep you comments and love coming!**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	7. Seven

_1992 - First Year_

Draco wandered the castle grounds by himself after supper. He'd managed to escape the Slytherins for a few hours after reading a letter from his father who stated how disappointed he was that he still wasn't the top of his classes. He made his way quietly through the castle, well aware that it was past curfew and he didn't want to gain another detention. As he turned the corner he heard foot steps and he immediately backed himself against the wall into one of the alcoves to hide.

"Mr Malfoy, although I admire your efforts, they are weak." Draco recognized the voice as Professor Snape, moving from his hiding spot he came face to face with the Professor and bowed his head, preparing for his lecture.

"It seems fate is on my side tonight. I have some business I would like to discuss with you, now seems as good a time as any. Follow me," Snape guided them both through the castle towards his office and closed the door behind him once they were both inside.

"You're aware that I am good friends with your parents," Snape spoke as he moved to sit himself on a dark leather chair.

Draco nodded as he sat opposite him, curious as to where he was going with this.

"Your mother has informed me of the lessons she has been giving you and your progress. She has asked me to continue them with you."

Draco stilled. He hadn't expected to have to endure another lesson until he returned home after school had finished, "You know Occlumency?"

"Who do you think taught your mother?"

Draco hadn't actually thought to ask how his mother had learned to become skilled in Occlumency. He shifted in his seat and waited for Snape to continue. He wasn't entirely comfortable at the idea of his tutor rummaging around in his head.

"Your mother has stressed the importance of keeping this secret. Nobody will find out about the lessons, never mind what images your pubescent mind puts together."

Draco blushed. He hoped to have a handle on this sooner rather than later before there really was anything to be concerned about, "When will the lessons start?"

"I have spoken with Dumbledore and told him that you've taken an interest in Potions. You will be having 2 sessions a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays with myself to advance your knowledge in Potions. That is when we will do it."

Draco relaxed slightly when he realized that today was Thursday and he would have a few days before his lessons would start.

Snape smirked and rose to his feet, "You may think that you've gotten away with not having a lesson this week but today is Thursday, therefore, I'm going to see what we are dealing with. I don't expect you to be able to do anything to block me, I just simply want to know what I'm working with. Brace yourself Draco, I'm not going to be as delicate as your mother. _Legillimens_!"

Draco felt his head crack. He couldn't figure out if his head had smacked against something or if his brain had split in half as Snape invaded his mind. Draco knew when he had his lessons with his mother that she was holding back. He knew it could be worse and Snape hadn't lied, this was a very different experience.

When his mother performed the spell he felt a coldness travel up is spine and freeze his head. He could feel and taste ice and every time she scratched away at the memory he got colder and colder. This was different, nothing about this was cold. He felt his mind burst into flames instantly whilst every inch of his body burned. His mouth had dried completely and he couldn't so much as choke on the lack of air he was getting, never mind form words to beg him to stop. The further into his mind Snape ventured, the more Draco felt his back arch. He was fully prepared for it to snap at any moment as he tried to fight against the spell.

"_That's Blaise and I'm Draco." _

_"I'm Hermione."_

Draco fought against the spell again, his efforts were weak and futile against Snape who powered through more memories.

"_I'm staying here until the end of lesson, you can go now, I'll be fine." _

"'_Suppose I am too then."_

Draco could see Snape in his memories, his smirks, his looks of disapproval. The deeper into his mind he traveled the more pleasure he took in what he found and Draco's embarrassment. He seemed to be targeting the last thing Draco had wanted him to see.

"_We aren't supposed to be friends Granger.. That's the point." _

_"And why is that?" _

_"Because I'm a Slytherin pure-blood and you're.."_

Snape's nose crinkled at this particular memory. Draco couldn't figure out why but whatever it was, there was something that about this particular conversation that made Snape feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the closeness between Draco and Hermione, he tried to figure it out but he knew there were so many more memories to come that he didn't want Snape to see. He used every ounce of his strength that he had left and focused. He was in agonizing pain, his mind was closing on numb, a point that his body had already reached but he fought anyway. Snape moved onto his next treasured memory,

"_You came." _

It was clear to see from the memory that Draco was in fact talking to Hermione but when she responded the words were quiet and incoherent. Snape stood irritated as he tried to figure out what Hermione was saying, so he pushed through, scratched harder and deeper causing Draco to scream as the flames in his mind intensified. He was almost certain his head was bleeding from somewhere, he could taste it in his mouth.

"_Unfortunately. But nobody else knows about this place and you have to either be a Malfoy or invited by one to get in.. so this is our place."_

_"Already kicking me out Granger?"_

Despite the intensity of the pain, Snape still could not hear what Hermione was saying. With this progress he withdrew from Draco's mind, a process that resulted in him loosing consciousness.

Moments later Draco woke from the floor beside where he had been sitting when Snape first cast the spell on him. His head was pounding and he could feel a ringing in his ears, his eyes burned like last time and this time he had a metallic taste in his mouth he was certain was blood.

"Drink this," Snape said as he passed Draco a potion. He warily took the potion from his hands and eyed it suspiciously, "You bit your to tongue when you were under the spell. This will take away some of the pain. The same goes for the headache you will no doubt have," Snape told him, Draco then realized the throbbing sensation in his mouth must've been his tongue and so he drank the potion in his hands.

"I'm impressed, you managed to distort the words of someone else in your memories. You have only been practicing for a week."

Draco moved himself up to a sitting position, using the seat behind him to lean against.

"However," he continued as Draco tried to compose himself, "If your father or one of his friends decided to delve into your mind they would have a lot to say as it stands. I can see why your mother felt it necessary you learn this now."

Draco blushed as he realized what he meant. Snape had witnessed every interaction he had had with Hermione. Almost every work exchange, every slight thought they had shared, he had watched the friendship between the two grow and he knew what that would mean for him if his father ever found out. His mother had put a great deal of trust into his professor to believe that he wouldn't share this information with anyone.

"Tell me, Draco, do you have feelings for Miss Granger?" Snape's face remained expressionless. He didn't look at Draco when he asked this question to which he was thankful as he felt his cheeks warm instantly.

"No, we are just friends," he croaked. He realized then that it hurt to speak, the extent of his screams had strained his voice and his throat felt swollen. "I'm just greatful to have a friend that see's me as Draco before they see me as a Malfoy,"

This answer made Snape smirk slightly, "I'll ask you again in a few years. We will continue your lessons next week. You should get some rest, I'll give you a potion to take back with you," he said as he reached for his cabinet.

Draco remained motionless as he tried to piece back together his slightly broken mind and body. After half an hour the potion he had drank when he came too had taken full effect and he felt strong enough to support the weight of his own body as he stood and wished the professor good night. He slowly made his way down the corridor to the Slytherin dorm and prayed that nobody was awake so he could simply slip into bed without anyone disturbing him but, of course, that would have been too easy.

"Where have you been?!" Despite the hours of excruciating pain he had just endured, nothing compared to the shrill tones of Pansy's voice.

"I went for a fly around the castle. Then I had an advanced potion lesson with Snape," he said as he slowly made his way towards his dorm room.

"Come sit with me a moment. I feel like I haven't seen much of you since you returned after Christmas."

'_Good_,' Draco thought, but he didn't want his absence to rise suspicion.

He moved to sit on the sofa opposite Pansy. His whole body molded to the soft seating and he felt cushioned and relaxed. Despite his attempt to keep some distance between them, Pansy moved from her seat and positioned herself next to him. It was a large three seater sofa with enough room to fit at least 4 first years on and yet she position herself right next to him. His body ached too much and he was far too comfortable to move away from her so instead he simply endured it.

"Must've been some intense flying lesson, you look like you're in pain."

'_Yes and you're making it worse.' _

"A potion I was practicing on backfired. I'm okay though, I'm just tired," Draco responded.

"Poor Draco, is there anything I can do to help?"

'_Fuck off?'_

"No, I think I just need to go to sleep," He could feel his eyes getting heavy and his body fall deeper into the sofa.

"Father sent me a letter today, he mentioned you."

This peaked Draco's interest, his eyes flew open and he looked towards Pansy to carry on.

"He told me about that meeting, how you were there. He said you're strong willed and you're going to grow up to be a fine man," She shifted slightly to move closer to him, bringing her legs up onto the sofa so that they were resting over his. Draco's eyes moved down to her legs as she continued, "He told me not to let you out of my grasp. I think I'm in with a good chance though, don't you?" She giggled at him, and somehow pushed herself even closer, which he didn't think was possible.

"Pansy.. what exactly do you think will happen between us?" He didn't remove his eyes from where her legs sat comfortable on his lap.

"Well, I think as we grow we will become closer. We will court for a few years and then when we leave this place we will marry," Her eyes glistened, not that Draco could see, but he could certainly hear the huge grin in her voice.

"We are nothing alike though Pansy, we are two very different people," He felt her stiffen beside him and she removed her legs to sit up right. He finally relaxed and moved his eyes so that he could see her, as soon as he looked at her face he realized it had turned sower at his words.

"Of course we are! We are both from respectable, wealthy, Pureblood families. We both have had the same upbringing, sorted into the same house. What more is required to ensure that the family we create will be any less great than we are?"

'_So so much more. What about interests, hobbies, goals, aspirations, do none of those things mean anything when you find someone to marry?'_

Draco didn't have the energy to fight her on this one, he simply grunted and she accepted that as his agreement. Pansy snuggled down into the crook of his neck and soon enough she fell asleep. Much like the last time he found himself in this position, he wanted to get up and leave her there so he could go to bed in peace. His body was still too fragile to lift her weight off of him so he fell asleep were he sat.

~x~

Hermione sat in the library with Harry as he looked over books detailing Charms that summoned music. The three friends had taken themselves to see Hagrid a few months after Christmas and quizzed him on creatures such as the three headed dog, which they learnt had a name - Fluffy. During the questions Hagrid had let slip that Fluffy could be easily tamed with a simple song to lull him to sleep, which was why Harry was so determined to find a spell that would allow for that to happen.

"I feel like I've searched everywhere and I still can't find anything. Honestly, how difficult could it be to summon music?" Harry whined.

Hermione chuckled to herself and turned her head back to her studying. She had vowed to herself that this little treasure hunt to find the Philosophers Stone wasn't going to interfere with her studies.

"Where's Ron? I thought he was supposed to be helping," Harry sighed and put the book he was currently scanning through down.

"He's in the great hall having supper."

"Naturally. I've never seen someone eat as much food as he does."

Hermione smiled and nodded, Harry was right. Ron was the only person she knew that would have food in both hands with a mouth full and still wouldn't be holding enough food. More often than not, it baffled her and sometimes it even made her feel uncomfortable when he shoved food in so pig like, but it's what made Ron and so she liked that about him.

"Daydreaming again Hermione?" Harry smirked.

She felt her cheeks warm as she glared at him, "Found anything yet? Or are you still failing miserably?" She snipped at him.

Harry's smirk fell right off his face and he scowled at Hermione. Picking up his book again he continued to search for the spell he required. After a couple more hours of searching Harry finally put his book down in defeat as he stood up, "I give up! I can't find anything. I'm tired and I'm going to leave!"

"There you both are!" Ron's voice grew louder as he approached the table. "What're you two up to?"

"Harry's been trying to find a spell that allows the caster to play music, a lullaby of sorts. But he's given up." This gained her another scowl from Harry and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him, neither of the two had realized that Ron had disappeared.

"Ron?" Harry shouted and looked around the room where they sat. A moment later he returned with a book in his hand which he placed down and open in front of Harry, pointing to a section on the page. Harry read the paragraph and looked up at Hermione with a blank expression and back at Ron,

"How is it I have been searching for hours and then you arrive and find it in 2 minutes?!" Harry said with clear irritation in his tone.

"My mum used to use it to send us to sleep when we were little. It doesn't create music out of thin air but it causes an instrument that was already there to play by itself. So, not exactly what you were looking for but it's close enough?"

"It's perfect Ronald. You two might not have noticed but there was a harp in the room with Fluffy."

"No you're right, we wouldn't have noticed as there was a bloody three headed dog trying to eat us! I didn't have chance to have a nosey at the rooms decor."

Hermione shook her head at Ron, and turned to Harry as she could see the cogs turning in his head.

"This is brilliant, this means we have a way to get past him,"

"Wow, hold on. You want to test this theory?" Ron was clearly concerned as he moved to sit with with his friends, "But we don't have reason to believe that anyone is actually trying to steal it yet, why would we go now?"

"Honestly Blaise, I left early and on my way out I saw them both cuddled up on the sofa together. Pansy was all tucked up in his arms and they were both asleep," the voice of Theodore Nott brought the three friends conversation to a hold as they all turned to observe the pair of Slytherins that had just entered the library.

"I just don't get it. Draco makes out like he hates Pansy and then they fall asleep in each others arms? Doesn't make sense."

"Maybe he just wants others to believe he doesn't like her."

"He's pretty cruel to her as well, it's not just a front. I saw her try to cuddle up to him when they both thought it was just them two and he looked like he wanted to crawl away. As soon as she fell asleep he got out of there."

"Hmm.. something tells me we will never understand Draco."

"Now that I'll agree with!" Blaise finished. They turned the corner and stopped in their tracks as the spotted the Gryffindor's seated at a table together, "Well what d'you know. A Mudblood, Half-Blood and a Blood Traitor all sat in the library together."

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke," Theo spat.

"They are a bad joke," Blaise laughed.

"Watch it Zabini!" Harry said as he stood up.

Theo took a step forward but Blaise caught his arm. "Careful Theo, I've heard the Half-Blood sets his pet on people who get too close to their Mudblood," Blaise laughed as he stared at Ron, clearly insinuating that he was the pet.

It took a moment for Blaise's words to click in Rons head, but once they did he launched himself at Blaise who was pinned beneath him within seconds whilst Ron began to pummel into his face. It took Theo and Harry a couple of seconds to register what had happened and once they realized, Theo moved to grab Ron but Harry was just as quick as he was on Theo before he could get to him. Harry's fist connected with Theo's face but given the height and reach advantage that Theo had, it was the only hit Harry managed to land before he was shoved into a book case. Ron was still on top of Blaise and had managed to draw blood from his nose whilst Blaise tried to kick his back and punch Ron in the stomach in attempts to get him off.The noise of Harry hitting the bookcase brought Madam Pince to the scene and she immediately cast a spell which froze the boys. Hermione realized she was still sitting down at the table, rooted to her seat.

"What on earth is going on here?" Madam Pince asked the group. Being as the boys were still frozen Hermione took it upon herself to answer on behalf of everyone, although she wasn't quite sure herself.

"They had a minor disagreement, Madam Prince. Some.. not so nice words were said and it has resulted in this.." she stuttered.

Pince glanced from Hermione to the boys and shook her head in disbelief, "This is unacceptable behaviour. I'm going to go and fetch your head of houses. They can deal with your punishment and I can promise you now, all of you are banned from the library for 2 weeks!" She finished by looking at Hermione and wandered off to summon the professors. The rest of the group remained frozen while Hermione tried to figure out if she was included in the punishment. Banned from the library for 2 whole weeks, that was the worst kind of punishment for Hermione.

As she sat and waited for further punishment, Hermione heard footsteps getting closer to their table when Snape and McGonagall turned the corner together. Professor Snape held no emotion in his face, he simply looked at the scene in front of him and waved his wand so that everybody separated and unfroze. Whilst the boys straitened themselves up and Blaise tried to stop the bleeding from his nose, Professor Snape spoke to the group.

"Would someone care to explain themselves," he drawled.

All four boys answered at once, each arguing their innocence, each blaming the other house.

Which was when McGonagall stepped in, "Silence." She spoke, "Regardless to who started it, you all participated. You will all endure a weeks worth of detention. I believe Filch needs someone to help him clean out the stables before year end. Four strapping young lads should be more than enough help," McGonagall smirked.

Harry and Ron glared at the Slytherin boys as they heard their punishment. Snape moved to Blaise and Theo, shoving them out of the library.

"Professor, Madam Pince mentioned a 2 week ban from the library but she didn't specify if I was involved in that punishment?"

McGonagall looked down at Hermione with sympathetic eyes, she knew how much Hermione valued her time in the Library. "Unfortunately Miss Granger, it sounds like Madam Pince believes you to be responsible also, for what took place. I can try to speak to her and get her to change it for a week but I cannot overrule her authority all together, I'm afraid."

Hermione's heart sunk, even a week was too long to go without being able to step foot in the library.

"Now, I want you all to go to your dorm rooms. It's nearly curfew and I'd rather you didn't get into any more trouble," McGonagall said before she left.

Hermione gathered her things together and left the library before Harry and Ron had chance to say anything to her.

"What's got her knickers in a twist?" Ron asked Harry as he helped him put the books back before they left together.

"She loves this place, she's in here everyday. Where else d'you think she disappears off to when she's not with us?"

"But it's not our fault she got banned."

"It kind of is, mate. We were all to blame."

"Malfoy's lapdogs wind me up. Who do they think they are? Honestly."

"You shouldn't let what they say get to you so much Ron."

"Harry, I don't care that they called me your pet. I care that they called Hermione a Mudblood. They're vile gits and they deserved everything they got. I hope Blaise's nose is broken," The boys laughed together as the reaches the portrait to the common room.

"Oi oiii, here they are!"

"Careful now Fred, Ron night break your nose too."

"That's a good point George, but then Harry might give you a black eye if your not careful."

"Whatever are we going to do living in such close quarters with loose cannons?"

"Criminals."

"Maniacs."

"You'll have to sleep with one eye open," Fred and George began their teasing the second the boys walked into the common room taking their seats. The first thing Ron noticed was that Hermione was no where to be seen.

"Tell us then," Fred said to Ron as he stopped scanning the room and focused his attention on his brothers.

"We want to know everything," George said as he lay on his chest over the rug on the floor, his head in his hands kicking his feet back and forth like a little girl waiting to find out who her friends crush is.

~x~

Hermione stormed here way through the castle up the stairs to the seventh floor. Despite it being so close to curfew, she didn't want to return back to the common room and listen to Harry and Ron boast about their little fight that had just gotten her banned from the Library for a week. She arrived at the Dragon statue and threw open the veil leading to her second favourite place in the castle. Moving towards the table she took off her bag and slammed it down in a huff. She took out her most recent book that Draco had recommended and wandered over to the window. There was little to no light in the room, but Hermione was thankful as she sat down and looked out at the Forest. The moon shone so brightly through the window and down at the grounds of the castle, everything looked so much more beautiful at night.

"Bad night?" Draco's voice made Hermione jump from her seat to half way across the room. He sat up from the sofa where he had been laying, chuckling to himself that he'd made her jump.

"I didn't realize you was here. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"Not at all," he said as he stretched and made his way to the window to sit next to her.

"Were you sleeping? Are you okay?" She asked him as the moonlight showed the bags under his eyes.

"Just having a little nap. Truth be told I'm exhausted. Over Christmas my mother decided I needed to earn Occlumency."

"That's such a difficult thing to learn! Especially at such a young age!"

"Tell me about it," he said as he rubbed against his eyes, "Anyway, so she had been teaching me but has asked Professor Snape to continue the lessons. He doesn't go as easy on me as mother does but I'm making progress."

Hermione stared at Draco in shock, she couldn't fathom how he could sit there and tell her this like it was a normal thing that 11 year old have to endure, pureblood or not, it's a lot for an adult to endure. Draco rested his head back against the wall and looked out at the castle grounds, Hermione could physically see the wear and tear in his face these lessons were having on him. It suddenly dawned on her that she would be apart of his memories, therefore his mother and Snape knew about their friendship.

"Do they.. have they said anything? About me.." she wittered.

Draco shook his head and looked at her, "Ironically they seem to be the memories that they're focusing most on me trying to block. I've managed to progress to a level of being able to blur out your words completely. Snape also believes that unless someone has met you and knows what you look like, they wouldn't be able to make out your face either. But no, they haven't asked anything."

Hermione nodded and bowed her head down as she watched her hands whilst she fiddled with them.

"What's the matter Hermione? What's happened?" Draco asked as he remembered Hermione's entrance to the room.

"Harry and Ron got into a fight with Zabini and Nott in the library. They got caught and now I've got a weeks ban from the library,"

"Did they really? What caused the fight?"

Hermione's kept her face down. She hadn't realized until now, now that she was processing it and repeating it, that it had upset her to hear those words, "Zabini told Nott to be careful not to get too close to Harry's Mudblood otherwise he will set his pet on him. Ron snapped, I think he broke Zabini's nose. Then Nott tried to grab Ron and Harry joined in," She could feel the tears pool in her eyes as she retold the story.

Draco froze, unable to find words. These were his friends and Hermione's friends. They were never going to play nice, however, he didn't care much for the way they spoke about her. He could hear her sniffles and could only think of one way to comfort her. Draco moved from the window and grabbed the quilt he had been using from the sofa and Hermione's book she had left on the table when she darted across the room. He moved back to the window seat and kicked off his shoes. Placing the quilt and book down on the seat he knelt down and removed Hermione's shoes.

"What're you doing?" She asked through her sniffles, but he ignored her.

Once he had finished, he moved back onto the seat and patted the space next to him, "Sit back and put your feet here," He told her and she moved to lean against the wall and stretched out her feet. Draco did the same with his legs on the opposite side, threw the quilt over their legs and grabbed the book.

"Whenever I was upset, my mum used to read to me until I fell asleep. I don't have anything to say about what happened. I cannot apologize on behalf of their actions, I don't agree with what they said to you or what they called you. But I can't say that I'll never find myself in a position of butting heads with your friends, it's inevitable. However, I can try to make you feel better now."

Hermione stared at him as he shuffled into a more comfortable position. She was slightly overwhelmed and this caring side of Draco, she didn't want to question it in case he stopped so instead she felt grateful and took advantage of it.

She moved herself into a more comfortable position and pulled the quilt up higher. Once she was comfy she looked at Draco and grinned. He chuckled to himself and opened the book to where her bookmark had been and began to read. She listened and watched as he made his way through the book, occasionally giggling at his voices and impressions until eventually her eyes became heavy. In that moment she felt completely relaxed. Everything outside of those walls, the trapped door, the exams that were looming, the prejudice between blood status, everything was forgotten.

All that was left was Hermione and Draco in their place whilst he read to her as she fell asleep.

**Authors note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	8. Eight

_1992- First Year_

Hermione woke with a sore neck to find that she was still sitting on the window seat in the hideaway. She rubbed her eyes and stretched as she got up off the seat, disturbing Draco in the process.

"Morning sleepy head," she smiled.

Draco stretched his back and winced, ruining his yawn. He grunted something that resembled 'morning' to her as he got up and putt his shoes on.

"Not a morning person then?" She laughed.

He finished putting his shoes on and pulled out his wand whilst making his way over to her.

Hermione froze and stared at him, "I was joking, jeez."

"Hermione, shut up and let me perform the Scouring Charm so you look at least half decent when you leave this room."

She fell silent and observed as he whispered the spell.

"_Scourgify._"

She looked down at her once creased robs in amazement. She was going to have to learn that one.

"It mustn't have worked properly," Draco said to her with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean? Of course it has."

"But your hair is still a mess."

She giggled and hit him playfully in the arm, shortly after he performed the spell on himself.

"Where did you learn that spell?"

"Me and Blaise used to get told not to play outside in the rain when we were younger. Of course we still did, so we thought it best to learn how to clean ourselves so we didn't get caught."

Hermione nodded as she tried to imagine a smaller Draco and Blaise playing like normal children, jumping in puddles and getting muddy. The thought made her chuckle.

"Right. Better head to breakfast, I'll go first," he told her whilst he gathered his belongings, "See you later Granger."

"That's not what you called me before," her words stopped him in his tracks, but he didn't turn to face her, he just paused.

"When you told me to stop talking before you cast the spell.. you called me Hermione."

He glanced over his shoulder to look back at her, to read her expression-which was blank.

"Hmm. So I did." He said before he carried on walking out of the door, just before he left he shouted back at her, "Bye Hermione!"

Her grin stretched from ear to ear and a few moments later she began to make her own way to the great hall.

~x~

Hermione walked with Harry and Ron back to their common room, she found herself listening once more to Harry's reasoning behind their need to investigate the trapped door as they turned the corner and bumped into Professor Snape.

"Now, what would three young Gryffindor's such as yourselves, be doing inside, on a day like this?" Snap asked as he eyed each one of them suspiciously. Hermione started to stutter as she scrambled to think of an excuse.

"Careful, people might think that you're... up to something," he finished with a glare at Harry before he turned and walked away from the group.

"Of course!" Harry whispered to himself. Ron gave Hermione a confused look and turned to nudge Harry.

"I was convinced that Snape let the troll out over Christmas, he was the only one who didn't look concerned when Quirrell ran into the hall and he was missing for a few moments before the feast. And now he's limping, like he's been bitten of scratched by something, something big."

"So, you think it's Snape?" Ron asked.

"I know it's Snape Ron, I don't know how but I just do."

"But what does this mean?" Hermione asked this time.

"It means we are going to see what's under that trapped door. Tonight."

"But what about your detention?"

"It'll have to wait."

~x~

"Did you hear about the Golden Trio?!" Blaise announced as he barged into the Slytherin common room.

"What've they gotten away with now?" Pansy whined.

"Oh, I don't think they'll get away with this one," Blaise responded as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

Draco sat opposite Blaise on the other side of Pansy who was making herself rather comfortable next to him whilst he tried to make himself look uninterested in the whole thing, despite being eager to hear Blaise's news.

"Well, last night the three of them snuck out of their common room, but not before the Mudblood hit Longbottom with a freezing spell I've never heard of, all so he couldn't snitch on them!"

"Wicked!" Goyle commented, earning a glare from his housemates.

"As I was saying, they all snuck off to the room on the third floor corridor. You know, the one Dumbledore told us specifically not to go in on the first year."

"Naturally they would find themselves in there. Honestly if they don't get expelled for this I'll be getting my father to write a letter to the headmaster," Pansy interrupted.

"Pansy, darling, shut up," Blaise snapped, "So apparently, according to what I overheard the Weasley twins saying, they encountered a giant three headed dog in there that nearly ate them alive! Then, they fell into a nest of weird vine things that wrapped around them! Weasley nearly suffocated, it broke some bones in the process."

"What a shame that it was a near miss," Pansy commented, earning another glare from Blaise for interrupting.

"Then Potter got attacked by a load of flying things with razor sharp wings, apparently he's deformed now! THEN they had to play a giant game of wizards chess and actually had to be the pieces. Weasley is in hospital, he might die."

"Here's to hoping."

"Pansy, I won't tell you again!" Blaise snapped at her, "Finally, they finished the game and Ron was sliced open by the Queen. Harry went on to fight Professor Quirrell who it turns out, and here's the big plot twist..."

Everyone was intrigued by now, there was a crowd of Slytherins gathered around him as he told the story, eager to find out what more could've happened in this story of Blaise's.

"He was the Dark Lord incarnate!"

Several Slytherins sighed with disappointment and wandered away from the group. Pansy gasped whilst Crabbe and a Goyle looked confused.

"You've got to be shitting me. Blaise, what've you been on? Have you been spending too much time in Snape's potion cupboard?" Theo commented first.

Blaise screwed up his face and threw something at Theo, "Do you want another black eye Theo? I'm not lying, it's all around the school! Everyone's talking about it!"

"Try it and I'll just set Potty's pet on you again," Theo snapped back.

"Now now boys. So Blaise, let me get this right. What you're saying is, the Golden trio managed to escape a 3 headed giant dog, unscathed. Break free from a whole nest of what sounds like Devils Snare. Then survive an attack from some mysterious razor sharp winged creatures where Potter was left mangled but, despite that, they went on to win a game of Giant Wizards Chess which left Weasley close to death. To top it all off, Harry met the dark lord, THE dark lord?" Draco finally spoke.

Blaise crossed his arms in a huff and threw himself back in the chair in defeat, "When you say it, it sounds ridiculous,"

"That's because it _is _ridiculous Blaise. The twins were probably having you on, they would've known you were eves dropping."

"Ok. Well if they were, why did I walk past the hospital wing to find Potter and Weasley unconscious with Granger being bandaged up?"

Draco felt sick. Hermione was in the hospital wing and he had been making jokes.

"Something wrong Draco?" Blaise smirked.

"I wonder if any of them will die?" Pansy said, full of hope.

Draco fought hard against reacting to anything anyone was saying, he didn't want it to show that he was concerned for Hermione. Blaise was already getting suspicious.

"Hopefully," Draco said causing Blaise to huff.

"But why was the dark lord here? HOW is he here? What possible reason would he have to be at Hogwarts? Plus I thought he died! Where is he now? You can't tell me Potter got away with coming face to face with him twice and survived?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Pansy. I don't know why he was here, probably for some unfinished business?"

The Slytherins silenced for a moment as they all thought over reasons as to why Voldemort, one of the most powerful evil wizards of all time, had returned and how he had managed to be defeated, again.

Draco had endured enough of the conversation and decided he couldn't wait any longer to see if Hermione was okay, he was going to go and find her.

"Where are you off too?" Blaise asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

"It's Thursday, I have a lesson to attend."

"Whatever you say," Blaise laughed and looked back at the group, giving Pansy a wink that turned her face sower before she looked back at Draco.

"Do you really have to go?" Pansy questioned him.

"Of course I do Pansy, you know about my lessons, what else would I do?"

Blaise muttered under his breath, too quiet for Draco to hear, but not so quiet that Pansy's face screwed up at his words as she glared at Draco.

"Something you would like to say Zabini?" Draco asked, his voice raised slightly.

"Not at all Malfoy. Run along now and enjoy your _lesson_," he chuckled but didn't turn to face Draco when he spoke.

If there was ever something Draco struggled with when he was younger it was his temper. He had a tendency to snap at things that, had he thought about it for a few seconds, wouldn't require the reaction he usually gave. In this instance, he'd had enough of Blaise's accusing smirks, no matter how justified they were. Draco moved to the back of the sofa and gripped Blaise's shoulders with both hands, pulling him from his seat to the floor where he had him pinned beneath his knee and his wand pointed at him.

"If you have something to say Blaise, say it!"

Blaise had paled and was holding his hands out in the air as he stared up at Draco from the floor. He had been in many arguments and fights with Draco but he had never seen him snap like this before.

"I just think it's a bit of a coincidence that I mention Granger is in the hospital and you all of a sudden have a lesson. You seem to have some sort of reaction when someone mentions her name that's all," Blaise stuttered over his words.

"Pansy!" Draco shouted and she scurried to his side.

"Yes, Drakey?"

He physically shivered. Blaise saw the look on his face as she used her new pet name for Draco then looked between the two, wondering why he had shouted her over.

"Tell Blaise when and what my lessons are!" He snapped, his tone made even Pansy lost for words until eventually she found her voice again.

"On Tuesday and Thursday evenings you have an advanced potions lesson with Professor Snape in his office for hours," She let out a huge breath at the end of her statement, one she hadn't realized she had been holding in.

"And what time is it?" He asked her.

"It is 10 minutes to 8."

"Brilliant. So it isn't 'all of a sudden'. I'm leaving now so that I can make it in time to my lesson as Snape is a bit of a dick to anyone who is late, as you know. I couldn't give two flying fucks whether that Mudblood is in hospital or not. You have a very over active imagination, my friend, if you think I feel anything other than pure disgust when I look at Granger. She is quite literally everything that is wrong with the Wizarding world. She doesn't deserve to have the magic she has. I didn't realize her blood status when I first met her but I, unlike you, was raised to be polite. Which is exactly what I was to her. The second I found out her blood status I have had nothing to do with her since, so i advise you stop throwing false accusations around because you'll get yourself hurt. You don't want your nose breaking twice do you?"Draco finished by lifting his wand higher, almost above Blaise's face who's eyes were staring directly at the wand .

"I'm sorry what was that?" Draco asked as he pushed his knee and his body weight further into Blaise's ribs.

"OKAY!" Blaise shouted. Draco stood up and brushed himself off as Blaise jumped up to do the same.

"You won't be able to take me off guard next time mate," Blaise said as he chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

Draco didn't so much as glance back at the group before he left the Slytherin common room to head toward his lesson. The only thing that he felt guilty about what he had just done, was the way he spoke about Hermione and he hoped she would never find out.

Blaise moved himself to sit back down on the sofa from where Draco had dragged him from.

"Are you okay Blaise?" Pansy asked as she too sat back down.

"I'm fine Pansy, don't worry about me. Draco and I are constantly fighting. Sometimes I win, sometimes he wins, it's just how brothers are," he told her.

"Do you honestly think he's interested in the Mudblood?" Pansy frowned as she asked.

"No I don't Pans, I just know how much it winds him up."

"Plus can you imagine the reaction Lucius would have if it were true," Theo added.

"Exactly. It wouldn't be worth it. It's not true anyway, she was in our carriage when school started and we were talking to her. Obviously then we didn't know, so since then I find it funny to wind him up about her. Might push him to do something to her one day," Blaise's said with a smirk on his face. He had hoped Pansy's smile had returned but she still sat with a frown as she looked down.

"Not to mention he would be stupid to go after anyone else when he's got a pretty girl pining after him here," Blaise winked at her, finally a small smile appeared on her face. Theo shook his head and excused himself, Crabbe and Goyle followed soon after.

"Do you really think so?" Pansy asked.

"'Course I do. Why would he be interested in a frizzy haired, know-it-all Mudblood, when he's got you? A pretty Pureblood who outshines most, if not all, the girls in this school?" That brought a grin to her face. She jumped up and pecked Blaise on the cheek, after-which he blushed.

"Thank you Blaise! You're right, he wouldn't want her. He's going to end up with me, our families say so! Good night!" She cheered as she slipped off to bed.

Blaise sat in front of the fire, contemplating on what Pansy actually saw in Draco when he clearly wasn't interested in her in the slightest.

~x~

"Where is your head tonight Mr. Malfoy? You seem to have digressed," Snape said to Malfoy as he picked himself back up off the ground.

"This wouldn't have something to do with a certain Gryffindor that happens to be in the hospital wing does it?" Snape asked. Draco half expected to find a smirk in his face but instead saw only a serious expression.

"Perhaps," was all Draco could bring himself to say.

"I assume you've heard about what happened today?" Snape asked Draco.

"Yes, but not from a reliable source," he choked out. The lessons were still taking their toll on him despite having improved drastically over the past few months. Draco was progressing well and had managed to advance in averting the caster away from the memories he wanted to hide. It was all still very messy and instead of moving Snape onto a memory he wasn't too bothered about having him watch, he moved him into another memory he didn't want him to see and had to start the whole process again. He needed to focus on not thinking about anything incriminating whilst under the spell, then he might stand a better chance of averting Snape completely.

"We are finished with our lessons for today," Snape told him. Draco was confused, he had only been there for an hour.

"But sir, we have barely done anything, and everyone thinks I'm going to be here for another few hours."

"I'm impressed with what you have learnt so far. That's enough for tonight," Snape stood up to walk Draco out of the room, "I think you'll find something to do to fill the time you have left," Snape told him with a smirk on his lips. Draco understood what he meant and nodded. Leaving Snape's office, he headed to the hospital wing.

Draco stopped outside of the hospital wing once he arrived. He hadn't really thought about what he was doing, he knew Hermione was there but he had forgotten that so were Harry and Ron who wouldn't be best pleased to see him there. He pushed slightly against the door and peered in. From what he could see, and definitely hear, Ron was sound asleep snoring. There was a curtain drawn around a bed at the end of the room that he could only imagine to be Harry's as from the sounds of things, he was the most badly hurt and would most likely need his privacy. Which left Hermione, who was sitting on the bed next to Rons, as she read. Draco slid quietly into the room, moving slowly to not make a sound. Hermione sighed and closed her book, making him freeze on the spot but she did not notice he was there.

She kicked her legs off the bed and turned to face Ron, "If you don't wake up I'm going to kill you Ronald Weasley. I know you can't hear me, but I'm off to bed," she said to him, but he was in too much of a deep sleep to respond.

Draco observed Hermione from a distance as she watched over Ron and wondered if he was lying in a hospital bed she would do the same for him. He suddenly felt like he was imposing and turned to leave, walking silently through the doors. For a moment he stood outside the hospital wing kicking himself for not saying anything to Hermione. Just as he started to walk further away, the doors opened and Hermione walked through. He froze and stared at her, waiting for her to say something as she looked blankly back at him. When the silence became unbearable for him, he eventually answered the unspoken question that lingered on her lips.

"I came to see if you were okay. I heard what happened-well.. what everyone's saying happened,"

Hermione continued to look at him and say nothing as he fidgeted on the spot. Suddenly she started to walk towards him until she was nearly running before she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Draco wasn't sure how to respond, he just went with what his body told him to do and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. He felt her begin to shake in his arms, faint sobs poured out of her. It felt like the right thing to do, to hold her until she composed herself. His grip grew tighter around her the more she cried and he wanted nothing more than to absorb her pain, to take it away from her and make it stop.

After a few minutes of their embrace, Hermione was the first to move away, but still stayed close to him as she wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Thank you. You don't know what it means to me that you came to see how I was. The whole experience was so scary."

"You can fill me in tomorrow, you need some rest. Are you staying here tonight or heading back to your dorm?" Draco asked as he reached out his arm and tucked a stray pieced of hair behind her ear, blushing afterwards once he realized what he'd done.

"I was actually going to head to our place.. but if you wanted to go there alone I understand," Hermione said as she bowed her head down to look away from him. Draco stepped aside and held out his hand, she looked up at him and her eyes lit up.

"Lead the way," he told her and they walked together to their hidden place in the castle.

~x~

Hermione woke in the middle of the night having shuffled down into an uncomfortable position in the window seat. She hadn't anticipated the nightmares she had after what she had just endured. Draco had also shifted at some point and was laying down entirely, taking up most of the room. Hermione allowed herself a few seconds to watch him as he slept, even without him telling her the whole gory details, she knew Draco's home life was something she would never want to witness or experience firsthand. He looked so at peace here, so normal. Hermione was grateful for his friendship, she never really had any friends growing up and now she found herself with 3 very important friends she couldn't imagine being without.

She decided she no longer cared about formalities and instead of lying at the opposite end of the window, she maneuvered herself round so that she could lay next to him. She put her head on his chest as she pulled the quilt further up over them. As she curled up to him, his arms wrapped around her and she froze, panicked that she had woken him up and he hadn't yet realized what he was doing. After a couple of minutes she relaxed and believed he was still asleep, her eyelids grew heavy and within seconds she was also back to sleep.

What Hermione hadn't realized, was that Draco had woken up the second she had. Her gasp made him very aware of their surroundings. Unlike her, Draco had anticipated that she would have nightmares and was constantly in and out of sleep all night, prepared to comfort her if she woke up screaming. When he woke he kept his eyes closed, thinking it would be the best thing to do so that she would go back to sleep. She would need all the rest she could get and he'd rather be around when she was, even if it was just to make sure she slept. Once he felt her shift he panicked slightly, thinking that she was going to leave him there and walk back to her common room, but when her head landed on his chest, his arms moved around her without a thought.

Before he had even registered what he was doing, he held her tightly and felt her relax as she slipped back into sleep. He couldn't of asked for anything more in the world than what he had in that moment. He grew up in a house where contact for comfort did not exist and in one night he'd hugged someone and found himself falling asleep snuggled up to them. Draco fell back to sleep with a smile on his face.

~X~

"Is he still unconscious?"

"Seems that way, but Madame Pomfrey said he should make a full recovery. I think she just gave him a little extra of everything and he's sleeping it all off," Ron told Neville as he sat next to his bed in the hospital wing. Despite how they left him in the common room, Neville had gone straight to the hospital wing the morning after to make sure everyone was okay, for this, Ron would always have respect for him.

"Hey Neville, I'm sorry about what we did, before we left," Ron said through embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, honestly," as Neville finished speaking the doors for the hospital wing burst open.

"Ronald!"

"Our darling Ronald!"

Fred and George always knew how to make an entrance. The boys ran to Ron's bed, one on either side, as they both dramatically showed concern. Although, Ron could see right through what was clearly an act.

"Are you hurt brother?"

"Tell us where it hurts?"

"We thought we lost you!"

"Will we still loose you?

"Will you die brother?"

"Ohhh how our lives would be ruined!" George buried his head in his arms as he rested against the bed. Neville couldn't quite believe the performance that occurred, where as Ron was less surprised and simply rolled his eyes at his brothers, waiting for them to finish.

"Its okay George, worry not. If he dies you can have his room."

George lifted his head immediately from Rons bed, "Better yet, we could use the room to build our testers!"

"Put a desk in the corner."

"Have a cauldron near the window."

"Oooo we could even get a nice rug!"

"IM NOT GOING TO DIE!" Ron interrupted after he grew tired of waiting for his brothers to finish.

"Pity, I really wanted a rug," Fred said.

George moved round the bed to comfort his brother whilst Ron sighed and put his head in his hands, making him wince, "It could still happen," he heard George whisper.

"If all you two are going to do is wind me up then leave!" Ron snapped.

Fred and George exchanged a look with each other and took a seat on the bed next to his bed.

"Calm down, we are just messing with you."

"Besides we want to know what happened."

"Yeah Dumbledore's story was a bit hard to believe."

"You know what he's like."

"You never know if he's telling the truth."

"Or if he's away with the fairies," George finished.

Ron looked at his brothers as they, for once, sat in silence and waited. He sighed once more before he went into detail about the events that happened that night, leaving out the part where he panicked when the Devils Snare tried to suffocate him. The story was exactly what Fred and George wanted to hear and they were both fully impressed.

"But what happened afterwards? Harry went on to fight Professor Quirrell didn't he?" Neville asked after Ron had finished.

"I don't know, that was after I was knocked unconscious. That's what happened according to Dumbledore but you'd have to ask Harry once he wakes up," Ron responded as the group looked over at Harry who was still asleep.

"Right, Mr. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey announced making everyone jump, "Take this potion and you're free to leave. Please do try to keep yourself out of trouble."

Ron immediately drank the potion and jumped out of bed, "Where's Hermione?" he asked as he began putting on his robes.

"She was discharged last night," Madam Pomfrey said before she left the wing once more. Ron looked over at Neville for confirmation.

"I haven't seen her yet, but I'm sure she just came back and went straight to bed," Neville told him.

"Yeah I guess. Well I'm gonna go and find her, I'll see you guys later for the end of year feast," Ron said before he too left the hospital wing in search for Hermione.

**Author Notes**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta! And for supporting me all the way through this story, you're an absolute diamond girl!


	9. Nine

1992 - First Year

Hermione woke up to the sound of thudding in her ears. It took her a moment to realize the noise she could hear was the sound of Draco's heart beating against his chest. She had somehow forgotten that she had moved to cuddle up to him in the middle of the night. Gently she moved off of him to stretch her aching body, no matter how comfortable she thought she was on the window seat her body told her differently.

"How're you feeling this morning?" Draco's voice startled her. He pushed himself upright and leaned against the wall of the seat as he rubbed his eyes and woke up properly.

"Much better thank you. Sorry about me leaning on you all night, I had a nightmare and I woke up extremely uncomfortable, so I just did what I thought would comfort me."

"No need to apologize, happy to be a human pillow," he joked. Hermione climbed off the window seat and moved to the table, pouring herself some water she hadn't realized was there.

"Can I ask you something?" Draco asked, breaking the silence once more. She nodded at him to continue.

"What on earth possessed you and those danger dweebs to go into a room that we had been specifically warned about on our very first day here?"

Hermione laughed at the question, it hadn't quite been what she had expected but she knew he would eventually ask about that night.

"It's complicated. Basically, Harry had a feeling that the Philosophers Stone was being kept beneath a trapped door in that room. He thought someone was after it. Turns out he was right, although, not who he had expected."

"The Philosophers Stone? As in, Nicholas Flamel's Stone?" He asked.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. It had taken months for her and her friends to find information on that stone, to even come across Nicholas's name in reference, and he had been able to provide her with such information just from hearing the name of the Stone.

"If only I had come to you sooner! We had no idea who Nicholas Flamel was for so long!"

"We have several books on him in our library. His works on immortality, in particular, was something father was interested in when the Dark Lord disappeared. Speaking of which, is it true?"

"That Harry came face to face with the Voldemort?" Draco nodded at her.

She didn't fully understand why had happened between him and Quirrell, she still needed to speak to Harry, "As far as I'm aware it is, but he hadn't returned fully. Remember in the Forest when we had detention and we were looking for a unicorn that had been hurt? Hagrid said one had already died previous to that, something was hunting them down to drink their blood. Apparently, if someone drinks the blood of a unicorn it will grant the person a sense of immortality, it will allow someone to live, but it would be at the price of a cursed life. According to Dumbledore, Voldemort was able to return through Professor Quirrell who he demanded drank unicorn blood so that he would remain alive, however, it meant that they would always be joint. Voldemort would never be able to separate himself from Quirrell which is why he wanted to find the stone."

Draco took a moment to process what Hermione had said, as well as how she said it. It didn't go amiss that she had said the Voldemort's name several times without so much as flinching where others would refrain entirely.

"That still doesn't explain why Potter wanted to go and investigate."

"That scar he has, the one that Voldemort gave him, it hurts him sometimes. He said it didn't start happening until this year, occasionally it would start stinging and he would get a bad feeling about something. He always goes with his gut and his gut told him he needed to see what was beneath the trapped door."

"So he said jump and you and the Weasel said how high?"

"No, we're friends-a team. We weren't about to let him go and investigate a trapped door beneath a three-headed dog by himself!" She snapped at him.

He chose not to comment further on her reasonings being following Harry, he could clearly see he'd hit a nerve, "How did you manage to escape? Unscathed, as well, it seems."

"Fluffy was asleep when we got there, he woke up just in time for us to jump through the trapped door but it was easy enough to get away from him. The Devils Snare was simple, we just had to relax. Ron didn't do so much relaxing but I knew the spell to get him out. The keys were a bit more difficult."

"Keys?"

"Yeah they had wings that were really sharp, only one would open the door."

"Oooh, they were the razor-sharp winged creatures that mutilated potter,"

"Mutilated? No, he just got a few scratches. He had to use a broom to get the key we needed but the other keys attacked him the second his hand touched the broom. Once he caught it we were able to go to the other room."

"Where you played a game of Wizards Chess?"

"You say it like it's nothing. Imagine a 10ft tall, stone-carved chess piece moving its way towards you with its 6ft long sword, ready to swing and kill you. It was terrifying and if it hadn't been for Rons' ability to play the game so well, we could've all died. Remember these rooms were designed by some of our own professors to keep people away from the Stone. They were designed to protect-to kill."

Draco's face dropped as he finally realized the severity of the whole evening, she could've died, they all could've and everyone was treating it as though it was just a story to gossip about.

"Well, I'm glad you're ok Hermione."

"You can be sweet sometimes you know." She gave him a small smile.

"Not really, I'm glad you're ok for selfish reasons. I need all of the friends I can get, mine are a bit dense! Plus, when we start taking exams I might need your brains," he laughed.

Hermione knew him well enough now to know this was a defense mechanism. Whenever she got too soppy, he would make a joke, "Well the brain is going to go to the hospital wing to check up on her friends."

"Okay, I'll see you later," he chuckled as she wandered out of the room, although he might not be able to admit it any time soon, he was grateful nothing had happened to her.

~X~

"Hermione!" Ron shouted over to her and she stopped in her tracks, turning towards him.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Where are you going?"

"Sorry I woke up and went for a walk to clear my head. I was just on my way to check on you and Harry, how are you feeling?"

"Oh I'm okay, just a scratch really, nothing I can't handle. Harry's still sleeping, I don't know what Pomfrey gave him but he's out cold."

"He probably needs it, to be honest," she said. There was a moment's awkward silence between the pair, Hermione didn't know what to say to fill the gap but eventually, Ron filled it.

"You were amazing y'know. The way you got me out of those bloody vines."

"You just needed to relax, something I didn't see happening, so I took matters into my own hands. I wasn't about to watch you suffocate."

"Well... thanks, I just wanted to say thanks."

"Thanks to you too! Don't ever let me call you names for playing Wizards Chess again, without your skill we would've lost immediately."

"I don't think Ronny should get all of the credit for his winning of the game," Fred's voice interrupted Hermione and Ron's conversation.

"After all, without us, he wouldn't have the ability to play at all," George chimed in.

"We are the true masters of that game."

"Only because you used to cheat! If one of you would get bored or stuck you would switch places with one another and nobody would realize," Ron protested.

"Hey, do not blame me for your poor judgment. How do you think we feel, you can't even tell your own brothers apart," George responded to Ron.

"Your own flesh and blood."

"Honestly it's just rude Ronny."

"Stop calling me Ronny," he said through gritted teeth.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle at the behavior of the twins, they were an amusing duo.

"Ronny's getting embarrassed because there's a girl around."

"Ronny doesn't need to be embarrassed, it's just Mione."

"Stop it! Don't call her Mione!" Ron shouted at them both.

"Actually... I quite like it," Hermione smiled, she had never had a nickname before.

"Ronny needs to chill out."

"Ronny has a temper problem."

"Ronny's going to punch you both in the face if you don't shut up!"

"There's that criminal attitude again."

"There's that maniac we know and love!"

"We better scarper Fred before we end up like Zumbini."

"I think you mean Zucchini."

"Don't be silly Fred, Zucchini is a vegetable, it's obviously Zambarni."

"His name is Zabini, why are you both here?" Ron asked, growing tired of his brother's antics.

"We came to help you look for Mione. Turns out you've found her, so we can be on our way unless you want to join us for food?"

"Course he does Fred, when does Ronny ever turn down food?" George laughed and started to walk away. Fred smiled and waved at Hermione before he left also.

"D'ya mind if I go with them?"

"Not as long as you bring me some food to the hospital wing later?"

He grinned and nodded at her before he left. Hermione turned to continue her walk to the hospital wing, laughing quietly to herself as she thought about the twins.

~X~

Hermione had returned to the common room after visiting Harry in the hospital wing. He had remained asleep whilst she was there but despite that, she started for a few hours on the off chance he might wake.

She showered and changed into her school robes as she prepared herself for the end of the year feast. Hermione couldn't believe a whole year of school had gone by. She would be going home for summer, for two whole months, away from her friends and Hogwarts.

"Should we swing by and check in on Harry one more time before we head to the hall?" Ron asked Hermione as she entered the common room.

"That sounds good to me, I hope he wakes up soon, I want to see him before the holiday," she told him as they left the Gryffindor common room together.

"I think he will, plus even if he doesn't, he will still write to you once he's better."

"Will you write to me?"

"Of course Hermione," he smiled and she returned one to him. Hermione saw something in the distance over Ron's shoulder and happened to glance over to see what it was. Shock and excitement coursed through her as she realized it was Harry. Hermione started running towards him and flung her arms around him once she reached him, giving him a big hug and pulled away.

"You're awake!" She panted.

Harry laughed at her and shook his head alongside Ron, "I am indeed, how're you both feeling?"

"We're fine mate, you were the one unconscious for hours, how're you feeling?" Ron answered.

"Fine, could just do with some food."

"I'll second that!" Ron announced and began marching to the great hall, Harry and Hermione following close behind.

"How're you feeling Hermione?" Harry asked her.

"Never better," she smiled.

~X~

The chime against Professor McGonagall's glass brought the great hall to silence as Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

"Another year has gone. Now as I understand it, the house cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus; in fourth place is Gryffindor with 312 points," the hall clapped ceremoniously as Dumbledore announced the position of the Gryffindor house.

"In third place, Hufflepuff, with 352 points. In second place, Ravenclaw, with 426 points," the Ravenclaw house cheered for their position as Dumbledore went on.

"And in first place, with 472 points, Slytherin house," Slytherin erupted in cheers and claps at the result, Draco dared a glance at Hermione who simply stuck out her tongue at his gloating.

"Yes yes, well done Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into account, and I have a few last-minute points I would like to award. Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of intellect, when others were in grave peril, 50 points."

Fred and George who were sitting close by cheered instantly at the news. Harry nudged into her and smiled whilst Ron clapped along with a few others. Hermione glanced up slightly and peered over at Draco who had a small smile on his face, almost as though he too, was proud.

"Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of Wizards Chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years, 50 points."

The Gryffindor table continued to clap, just above the noise Ron overhead his brothers cheering for him, although, he was certain he heard his nickname being used.

"And third, to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house 60 points."

The table erupted as it realized that with Harry's additional points they were now tied with Slytherin. Percy who was on the other side of Harry patted him in the back and congratulated him.

"And finally, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. I award 10 points, to Neville Longbottom! Assuming that my calculations are correct, I believe that a change in decoration is in order," Dumbledore stood tall and clapped his hands, a gust of wind blew the Slytherin drapes that hung from the ceiling. As they slowly landed back down they changed to Gryffindor, "Gryffindor wins the house cup!"

The hall cheered and clapped loudly, despite still not having won, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were still happier with the new result. After a few moments, the hall settled again and Dumbledore took his seat as everyone engaged in their own conversations about the summer break.

"Harry, you and Hermione will have to come and visit me at the Burrow over the holidays. Mum would love to have you both over."

"That would be great! I'd have to ask my aunt and uncle, but I don't see why that would be an issue. They would no doubt prefer to have me out of the house," Harry responded.

"I'd love that too! I'm excited to meet your sister, Ginny is it?"

"Yeah that's her, she will no doubt be excited to meet you guys. I'll make sure I owl you both the address," Ron told them. Hermione suddenly got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized she wouldn't see her friends every day,

"Make sure you write frequently, I'm going to miss you both so much," Hermione announced. Harry and Ron looked at one another and Hermione immediately blushed, regretting her decision to say anything.

The boys laughed and Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione, "We are going to miss you too Hermione! We will write often don't worry," Harry squeezed her shoulders and she smiled at them.

"Besides, who else is going to help Ron with his homework?" Fred shouted across to her, earning himself a scowl from Ron.

Draco observed from his table, witnessing Harry wrapping his arm around Hermione and pulling her close to him. He found himself feeling very jealous by the action, not because Harry had his arm around her, but because he could. Draco knew that he would never be able to be that open about his friendship with her as they can and because of that he was always going to be at a disadvantage, they were always going to be closer to her than he was.

"Stupid Gryffindor's. I can't believe they managed to break so many school rules and were awarded for it, to the point where they stole the house cup from us," Pansy whined.

"I feel like this is something we are just going to have to get used to with the Golden Trio around Pansy, they're always going to come out on top. The sun shines out of Potters arse remember?" Blaise told her, she huffed and moved to rest her chin in her hands.

"I, for one, cannot wait to get home after that, I am officially done with school," Draco told the group. Crabbe and Goyle nodded in agreement.

"I suspect I'll be seeing you within a couple of days anyway mate. Ma said she was going to have tea with Narcissa next week, so I'll probably tag along with her. You can show me your new broom."

"Will I see you over the holidays?" Pansy asked Draco, who stilled slightly at the question.

He hadn't planned to make a point of seeing Pansy over the holidays however it was likely inevitable given his father's relationship with her that he was going to run into her at some point, "I imagine I will see you yes. Father wants me to attend more meetings over the summer so I imagine I will see all of you," Draco said to the group.

"What are these meetings about Draco? I feel like something big is happening. If the rumors are true and Potter did fight off the Dark Lord, does that mean he's coming back?" Theo asked him, the whole group stopped and looked at Draco to answer. He hesitated for a moment, remembering his first meeting with his father. Each time he thought about it it made his stomach turn, it wasn't something he was going to discuss with his fellow Slytherins.

"I don't know what's happening if I'm honest. I just attend, I don't pay much attention really, they're quite boring," Draco's answer disappointed them. Theo went back to playing with his food whilst Crabbe and Goyle continued eating as much as they could.

"That was a lame answer mate, you do know what's going on, you just don't want to talk about it," Blaise said quietly.

"Then why push?" Draco looked up at Blaise.

"We will talk about this in the holidays. We are brothers, we don't have secrets," Blaise told him.

Draco nodded and chose this moment to glance over at Hermione once more. The light from the candles in the air reflected off her face and warmed her curls, she was laughing at something the twins had said, her smile big and bright on her face. Draco definitely had secrets.

~X~

Draco sat at the window seat in his family's secret room looking out onto the castle ground one more time before he returned home for summer break. He was struggling to understand how a whole year had passed in the blink of an eye and now he would be home for two whole months before he returned.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of parchment, using his wand to inscribe words into it.

Meet me at our spot one more time before we head home for summer.

With a wave of his wand, the note was gone. He glanced around the room, taking in its tranquility, thinking back to the conversation he had with his father before he started school where he told him about this room.

"_Every Malfoy has been sorted into Slytherin, you will be no different. However, if the hat believes you belong in a different house, let's say Ravenclaw for your intelligence, you can fight against it. The hat takes into account what you want also, you can choose to be in Slytherin," his father told him as Draco pack his suitcase ready for the start of school. _

_"Do you remember Snape?" Lucius asked his son. _

_"Is he the man with long black hair who takes 10 minutes to finish a sentence?" Draco asked._

_Lucius choked slightly at the question, almost like he was holding back a laugh, "Yes, that's him. He's the Potions Master at Hogwarts and head of Slytherin House. If you ever find yourself in trouble, he will help you. Not many of the other professors are worth your time but I want you to study hard and be the top of your class regardless of who the teacher is!" _

_"I will father, I've done nothing but study since birth. I have faith I will be above all of the other children." _

_"Good. Also, there is something I want to share with you, something that has been passed down to each generation of Malfoy," Lucius moved to sit beside his son's suitcase on the bed. _

_"There is a room in the castle, it's found on the 7th floor in the west corridor. Follow it down to the bottom and turn right, you'll find a statue of our house Dragon with a black veil behind it. Being as you're a Malfoy, when he moves the veil you will be able to walk down another corridor, through a door, and into a room. Anyone who isn't a Malfoy will only see a brick wall. This room is for you and you alone, there's study supplies, books, a fire. It's your escape whilst you are at Hogwarts, you'll find that you'll need it." _

_"Am I allowed to take anyone there?" _

_"I would advise against it Draco. It's not impossible, but once you invite someone they can come in whenever they want unless they're uninvited." _

_"Did you invite mother?" he asked his father. _

_Lucius' cheeks grew warm, but it was only noticeable to himself, "I did, which is why I said you can, I just wouldn't invite someone lightly. It takes blood magic to invite someone into the room and you need something of theirs, like a strand of hair so that the room recognizes the person you are inviting. The instructions are found in a book on the second shelf to the right of the fireplace. Use it well Draco, do not abuse it," Lucius said sternly to him before he got up and left his son to finish packing. _

Hermione's entrance into the room brought Draco out of his trance as he stared blankly at her. If only his father knew that he had performed blood magic to allow a Muggleborn into his family room. Draco smiled at her as she made her way over to him and sat down.

"Still upset we beat you for the house cup?" Hermione asked with a grin on her face.

"You got lucky, we should've won, you stole it off us at the last minute," Draco teased.

Hermione took the bait, "No! We deserved it, we won fair and square!" she stuttered. Draco smirked at her and she hit him playfully.

"I've had a thought," Draco said more seriously.

"Did it hurt?" Hermione joked, but she soon realized he was no longer playing.

"Your idea for sending letters at Christmas worked because Pansy was still at Hogwarts and she could very well be sending me letters. Father did find the first one and believed it, however, it might not work over summer. He's going to want me to attend more meetings with him and some will be at her house, I don't want him to end up asking her and it raising suspicion," he told her.

Hermione's face fell slightly, "So what does that mean? That we can't write to each other over the holidays? But that's 2 months!" She protested. She had been so focused on not seeing either Harry or Ron that she hadn't even considered not seeing Draco, never mind not being able to talk to him.

"Unfortunately it does, I wish it could be different but I can't tell you what would happen if we were caught."

"No no I get it, I know he would lash out on you and I don't want that. I understand, it's bloody ridiculous, but I understand," she sighed and bowed her head.

"Hey, don't be sad about it. Just think, in 2 months time we will be back here, in this room, like we hadn't been away. Just think, we will have so much to tell each other because we haven't been filling each other in over the holidays."

"I suppose..." she responded.

"Make notes of everything you do and when you get back, we will talk about it all."

Hermione gave him a small smile and nodded at him.

"We best get ready to go, we will be leaving for the train soon," Draco said as he stood up.

Hermione remained seated for a moment longer whilst looking up at him, she sighed one more time and got to her feet. She stared at him and contemplated hugging him goodbye. Draco had been thinking the same as he sighed and stepped toward her wrapping his arms around her.

"It'll fly by and I'll be winding you up again in no time," he whispered down her ear.

She nodded against his shoulder and hugged him tightly. After a moment she pulled away and smiled at him one more time before she left the room. Draco sat back down at the window seat for a few more minutes. He had reassured her that nothing would be different when they returned for second year, that it would fly by and once they returned things would go back to normal, but he felt change ahead, he felt it in his gut that something big was going to happen next year.

~X~

"So I've decided I'm not going to tell my parents about the last few days. My dad was already so worried about me coming back after Christmas, as I decided to tell him all about the last Wizarding War, stupidly," Hermione told Harry and Ron as they sat in the train that headed to Kings Cross.

"I wish I had that option. My mum will already know about it because dad works at the Ministry. She'll be sending me back in bubble wrap next year," Ron moaned.

"Just be grateful they care, I imagine Dudley will just be disappointed that I survived," Harry said to them both, making them stop suddenly and their faces dropped. Harry had successfully brought the tone down, but instead of making everyone feel bad, it made the three of them laugh hysterically.

"I'm sorry Harry, it's not funny," Hermione said through laughter.

"No it's fine, it kind of is," Harry responded. After a few moments the group settled and Hermione looked at the boys as they stuffed their faces with sweets from the cart. It was moments like that she was going to miss the most over the summer.

The Hogwarts Express finally arrived at Kings Cross, students poured off into the platform. Hermione grabbed her suitcase and stood in front of Harry and Ron before diving at them and pulling them both in for a hug.

"Remember to write," her voice was muffled as she spoke between their shoulders, she pulled away and they both nodded at her. Fred and George appeared next to her and she turned to say her farewells to them, "I hope you both have a lovely summer."

"You too Mione!" They both said in unison.

Hermione turned to find her parents and she spotted them in the distance, her mum smiling from ear to ear whilst her dad remained serious. The closer she got to her parents the more she realized her mum was looking directly at her, whereas her dad was looking off into the distance.

"Hermione! It's so good to see you!" Her mum told her as she gave her a big hug. Hermione turned to her dad who was still looking elsewhere, following his eyes she realized he was looking at Harry and Ron.

"Harry is the dark-haired boy and Ron is the red-haired boy. I figured you'd want to know who's who if you're going to burn holes in the side of their head with your gaze."

Her dad laughed and turned to her pulling her in for a bear hug, "I just wanted to see the boys who had their arms around my daughter moments ago."

"Let's get home," she said as they walked through the crowd, her dad's arm around her shoulders as she waved goodbye to her classmates. Two months and she would be back there, ready for her second year.

**Author note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	10. Ten

_1992 - Summer Holidays_

Draco sat in the dining room with his parents as they discussed his results from his first year at school. It appeared Lucius had gotten over his initial demand that Draco was to be the top of his class, it was clearly something that wasn't going to happen with Hermione around.

Narcissa continued to congratulate him on the grades he was achieving and the compliments he had received from some of his tutors whilst Lucius remained silent.

After supper his father excused himself and disappeared to his study, Draco was used to his father being distant and showing little to no interest but he seemed even more so tonight. He followed his mother to the drawing-room, questions floating around in his head. He had been eager to speak to his mother since he returned home but nothing he wanted to talk to her about could be discussed in front of his father so he simply had to wait.

"What's the matter, Draco?" His mother asked as he was pulled out of his daydream, now was his chance.

"What's wrong with father? He seems more brooding tonight if that's even possible?" His comment made his mother chuckle as she put aside her tea.

"He's got a lot on his mind at the moment, dear. I'm sure you will be made aware soon enough. You do know your attendance at his meetings will start up again now you're home?" She asked as her nose crinkled, she still wasn't thrilled with the idea. Draco nodded and she continued, "How're your lessons with Snape going? He said you're coming along nicely, but how do you feel?"

Draco had made a huge achievement before the holidays. Snape had insisted on one last lesson before he returned home and he didn't hold back either. Draco had used every ounce of his strength to hide his memories from Snape and it had worked, he could no longer access any that involved Hermione, not even ones where it was only her name that was mentioned. This was the goal Snape wanted him to reach before the end of the school year.

"Something tells me you're going to want to try it out for yourself, so why don't we?" Draco asked his mother, she shook her head at him before answering,

"I don't need to, not tonight anyway. I just thought I'd ask. You've just got home Draco! I want to hear about your experience at school, your friends, the fun you've had," she smiled and picked up her tea once more. Draco squinted his eyes and looked at her warily, as he waited too long his mother decided to pick up a sugar cube and threw it at him.

"Hey! What was that for?!" He asked,

"You're not answering me and you're just staring. What would your father say? 'We use words in this house Draco,'" Narcissa's impression of her husband was by no means a mockery of him, but never the less it still made Draco laugh. He picked up the sugar cube off of the floor and examined it slightly.

"And what would he say about your childish behaviour? Throwing things at me mother, honestly."

She sighed and shook her head. Draco laughed once more and began to tell her all about the year he'd had, leaving out any details where Hermione was involved. As far as he was concerned if she wanted to discuss his friendship with her, she would have asked him by now.

His mother listened as he spoke about his Slytherin friends, she listened as he spoke of his feud with the Gryffindor's. She nodded where appropriate but couldn't help the nagging feeling she had in her stomach as she realized nothing he was talking about was making him happy. He didn't smile once, he hadn't laughed as he replayed any moment he'd shared with his friends and he'd shown no enjoyment from his classes. This what not what a mother wanted to hear about her son's first year at school.

After Draco finished talking, Narcissa paused for a moment before she put aside her tea once more and repositioned herself, "Draco are you Happy?" She asked him.

Surprise splashed across his face, "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

Narcissa didn't believe him, she knew her son and she knew there was something more. He wasn't moping and he wasn't unusually quiet, therefore, there must be something that is keeping his spirits high enough to endure everything else in school that didn't bring him joy, then she remembered. Narcissa thought back to Christmas when his Occlumency lessons started, the memories she saw inside his head and at that moment she knew, "Why don't you tell me about your friend?"

Draco froze. He studied his mother's face which gave nothing away. He struggled to believe that she actually wanted to know the details of his friendship with Hermione, but why else would she have asked, "What about them?"

Narcissa picked up on his hesitation, it was a difficult subject to discuss given everything he had been raised to believe but his mother was different. She didn't care for the same beliefs her family instilled into her. She watched over the years what happened to her sister when she voiced her own beliefs and later went on to marry a muggleborn, she didn't want that for herself, she didn't want to be cast out. However, having lived with that decision she had made, Narcissa sometimes wondered where her life would be if she had followed her sister, Andromeda. She would not force her son into making such decisions as she was, but she also wouldn't hide the consequences of his decisions.

"Draco, listen to me carefully. You are your own person and you are within your rights to make your own decisions but be _careful_. You come from a long line of Pureblood's, as you are aware of your father's beliefs, he would forbid any kind of interaction of any sort with the likes of.. your friend. All I am saying is, if you continue this friendship, be very VERY careful," she finished.

Draco nodded his head at her quickly, dumbfounded by her words. Narcissa sat back in her chair and smiled once more at her son, "So, tell me about your friend."

Draco shifted in his seat, wondering where to start. What was there to tell? He'd met Hermione on the train to Hogwarts on the first day, which his mother knew. He'd later shared detention with her where their friendship nearly ended before it had even started, which his mother knew. He had invited her into his family's secret room in the castle, which he had no doubt his mother knew. But there was so much more than that. He had spent evenings with Hermione, curled up on that window seat, talking about different kinds of books, getting lost in stories and different worlds together. He had read to her until she had fallen asleep and continued to do so on several other occasions. He had comforted her at such a time of need and experienced physical contact his parents refused to give him. He hadn't realized until this happened, just how much he needed it. He had spent hours with Hermione, talking, laughing and toying around, he'd even spent hours in blissful silence with her, she was his closet friend in Hogwarts. Despite having thought all of this over he still didn't know how to put any of it into words.

"No matter," his mother's voice brought him back to reality once more, almost as if she had read his mind.

"The fact that you have sat there, thinking over your answer for a few moments, with nothing but a smile on your face tells me everything I needed to know. I just wanted to make sure you were happy, and I can see now that you are."

Draco blushed at his mother's words, alongside practicing to keep invaders out of his mind, he also needed to work on the ability to control his facial expression.

~X~

The summer holidays were flying by for Hermione. She had spent the first couple of weeks traveling around with her parents, all over Britain. They even stopped off at The Burrow where the Weasley's lived, although Hermione was a little disappointed that Harry had not responded to their invitation and had decided not to show up.

After the Grangers finished on their travels, Hermione got herself stuck back into a routine that involved studying, reading and writing to her friends. When she had done all of those things, she would spend time with her parents playing board games, watching movies and sometimes they would go out together as a family.

Hermione was enjoying a to herself while her parents were at work. She had completed her allotted time to study and was sitting by her window reading the latest book that Draco had recommended when an owl appeared at her window that she recognized to be the Weasley.

_Mione, _

_I don't suppose you've heard from Harry yet? I've been mailing him all summer and I've heard nothing. The letters are getting there though because Errol isn't coming back with them, I just don't understand why he wouldn't want to reply. _

_How are you anyway? Would you like to come and visit again before we go back to school? Mum really enjoyed having you round and dad said he would love to see your parents again. Why don't you pop over ?_

_Speak to you soon,_

_Ron_

Hermione smiled as she put the letter to one side and moved to her supplies to write a response. She had managed to keep in contact with Ron throughout the holidays, they had owled each other nearly every day. However, Harry hadn't responded to either of their letters, despite their many efforts.

_Ron,_

_I still haven't heard anything from him, do you think we should be worried? You know what his aunt and uncle are like, what if they've locked him in a room somewhere with no contact to the outside world? _

_I think would be lovely. I will have to speak to my parents once they are back but I can't imagine they would find a reason to decline. I enjoy it at your house, it's very cozy and it's difficult not to feel like I'm at home when I'm there. _

_See you soon, _

_Hermione_

She gave the owl a treat and then passed him the letter before sending him on his way.

Hermione had stuck to her word and hadn't sent a single letter to Draco throughout the holidays and truth be told, it wasn't sitting well with her. She wanted to speak to him, to ask him how his holidays were going but she knew she couldn't. So, instead, she sat beside her window in her small bedroom, looking out onto the woods behind her house, reminding herself of what it felt like to sit in her and Draco's little room in the castle, falling asleep together by the window.

~X~

Thursday came round quick enough and Hermione began fidgeting with her dress that her mother insisted she wore to travel to the Burrow.

"Darling you look beautiful."

"Mum is this really necessary?"

"You want to look nice for the Weasley's don't you?"

"Jean, I can't help but feel like you've got other motives behind dressing our daughter up in a pretty frock," Hermione's dad eyed her mum as he said this.

"I don't know what you mean Mark, I just want her to look her best," she replied with a 'butter wouldn't melt' look on her face.

The Grangers have been given access to a Floo network once Hermione had returned home from school. Their once ordinary fireplace had been transformed into a larger more open fireplace that they could step into to access the network. Once all family members where inside, Hermione grabbed the Floo Powder and called out their destination.

"Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Weasley called out once they had all appeared in her living room. She pulled Hermione in for a big hug before she moved to Jean and gave her a squeeze of her own.

"Mrs. Weasley, Thank you again for inviting us to your home."

"Now Jean I've told you before, call me Molly. There's no need for thanks, it's lovely to have you. Come now, follow me and we will go to the kitchen for some tea," Mrs. Weasley said as she led the way.

Hermione lingered behind to find Ron who was sitting in the garden, watching his brothers all fly around on their brooms.

"Hey," she said sitting next to him.

"Hey Mione," he responded with a warm smile before he moved back slightly and took note of what she was wearing.

"Don't. My mum made me. Dad and I tried to protest but apparently, I had to 'look my best' if I was to come here tonight."

They laughed together and moved their gaze to the boys playing their own game of Quidditch.

"Still no word from Harry?" Ron asked Hermione shook her head in response.

"I'm starting to get worried, it's his birthday tomorrow."

"I'm sure he's fine. Maybe his aunt and uncle have locked Hedwig away so he can't respond?" Ron nodded, still not satisfied with Hermione's latest theory.

"Ready to go back?" Ron asked her, changing the subject.

"Of course! I can't wait to start lessons again, I've been studying all summer in preparation," Excitement in her voice, Ron laughed and shook his head.

"Little book worm aren't you," he said and nudged his shoulder into hers making her move slightly, she smiled back at him and nodded. He meant it nicely and she knew that.

"Children! Come inside, dinner is almost ready," Molly's voice echoed through the garden.

Ron stood first and held out his hand for Hermione to grab. She hesitated for a moment before she took it and stood up, immediately letting go soon after she rose and blushed before she headed inside. The Weasleys and the Grangers sat around the table waiting to get stuck into the food, Ron was almost drooling at the sight of all of the food when his mum finally spoke.

"Everyone tuck in," and so they did.

~X~

Draco sat next to his father at a table in the Goyle residence. This was the 7th time he had visited this house during the holidays and he was growing immune to the darkness that loomed. Thankfully, he hadn't had to experience another scene as he did upon arrival the first time. Instead, he had to sit through countless hours of boring meetings about how the 'former' death eaters planned to bring back the dark lord.

In his first meeting, Draco was shocked to hear that the men discussing so openly how they wanted to bring you-know-who back, but the shock soon wore off by the third or fourth meeting. He had occasionally joined in and made comments, his father's friends encouraged him to speak up on occasion however, more often than not, he was expected to remain quiet-seen and not heard.

Something felt different about the latest meeting that made Draco shift uncomfortably. The table they sat at was quite large and, although there was room for more people, the seats were only ever filled by the usuals-Draco, his father, Rufus, and Goyle. This meeting was different because every seat was filled, some with faces Draco didn't recognize and others with old family friends he knew to be people his father associated with but still didn't remember their names. It dawned on Draco that it must be something important for everyone to be here.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start the meeting," a man with a long black hair tied behind his head and a dark shadow of stubble across his face, stood before everyone opposite Draco and his father, in the middle of the table.

"As you are all aware since the Dark Lords' downfall, there has been a drastic increase in dirty blood. I'm growing tired of the number of students joining our school with our children that have parents that are muggles or halfbloods, I propose we do something about it."

The room broke out into whispers, some were keen on the idea of continuing the work the Dark Lord had started before his demise, whilst others struggled to believe there was a way in which they could do it without being caught.

"Before the fall of the Dark Lord, he told me about the Chamber of Secrets. He told me how his time in Hogwarts was spent discovering the chamber and his means to open it until he eventually found a way and discovered the beast that lay dormant at the pit of the chamber. Given his ancestry, he was able to control the beast and target Mudbloods, petrifying them all one by one, until he eventually succeeded in killing one. We all know the story of the chamber being opened very well, but what the Dark Lord didn't disclose with everyone was that he left a key that would open the chamber once more. Lucius," the man finished and gestured towards Lucius to continue.

Draco watched as his father stood and the man opposite took his seat, all eyes were on Lucius with anticipation.

"The Dark Lord left in my possession a diary, in which he said would one day open the chamber once more. He told me of its greatness and how the hold the diary had on its victim was so powerful, it could control even the strongest of minds. I propose we give the diary to a student and have them open the chamber once more, getting rid of the vermin that disgraces Hogwarts."

Grunts of confirmation echoed through the room as the men nodded with approval.

"Why did he leave the diary with you and not tell you to use it?" a small stocky woman spoke up from the end of the table.

"He told me of what it could do and how one day he would call upon me to use it. Unfortunately, he died before that day came."

"Why now? Why did you not use it before, once he fell?" She spoke again.

"Because, _Alecto,_ I believed that it was best to wait. We were all under trial once the Dark Lord fell and anything that happened too soon after would have led the Ministry straight to all of our doorsteps, and more importantly-"

"-Sounds to me like you were just too scared," Alecto said to the room whilst looking at the man opposite her who let out a wheezy giggle.

"I have to agree with my sister. It's funny how whispers start that the Dark Lord appeared at Hogwarts in June and you suddenly want to start fighting back," the man said through his giggle, not before long the woman joined in with a matching wheeze in her giggle.

Draco looked up at his father who looked like he was growing impatient.

"Thank you for your insight, Amycus. However, you are not entirely right in what you believe, but then, that wouldn't be the first time would it," the siblings stopped their giggling to scowl at Lucius who cleared his throat before continuing.

"As I was saying, I believed that the Dark Lord would've wanted to me wait to use this key, to find the opportune moment. I believe he would've wanted me to have waited until the young wizard responsible for his downfall was attending the school so that he too, would be a victim to the Basilisk."

Draco watched as the faces of the two siblings that had just been questioning his father moments ago sat in awe at his explanation. The man who sat opposite Draco smirked as Lucius went on.

"When I heard the rumors that the Dark Lord had returned and that Potter had faced him once more, I soon realized that he was going to be just like his idiot father. He too, enjoyed looking for trouble and so I decided, once in his second year, I would plant the diary. When he discovers the effects that take place on the Basilisks' victims and the first mudblood becomes petrified, I am confident he will go looking for the source and be the first of many to die."

Further chatter of approval surrounded the table and a very small, dark smile appeared on Lucius's lips.

"Tomorrow I will be heading into Diagon Alley with Draco. We will choose the victim and dispose of the diary, planting the seed for what could be a very eventful year."

With that Lucius took his seat and the room erupted into conversation, excited faces all-around at the idea of the Chamber of Secrets being opened once more.

"Well done Lucius, you kept your cool with the Carrows, that's not something I could've done," The man who opened the meeting said to him as the room emptied, all that remained were Draco and his father.

"Thank you, August. Draco, I would like to introduce you to Augustus Rookwood," he told his son, Draco held out a hand for Augustus to shake.

"Pleasure," Draco said to the man, who returned a small smile as he took his hand.

"I must say, Lucius when you said that your son was going to be attending meetings with you, I had imagined him to be a lot less willing to learn and participate. He seems to be coming along nicely, are you glad to be attending these meetings with your father?" Augustus asked Draco, who looked at his father before speaking as though to ask for permission.

"I am thank you. It's nice to see the men who followed the Dark Lord, I admire the efforts everyone is showing to bring him back, their loyalty not lost. This new theory my father mentioned with the diary is... interesting,"

"Don't you believe it's going to work?"

"Hogwarts is a different place now. There are many more precautions in place to protect the students and, given the events that happened in June, Dumbledore is even more alert to any strange activity."

Lucius eyed his son as he spoke, clear irritation in his lack of faith towards his father.

"Following that, the location of the Chamber has never been discovered. I find it hard to believe the power stored in some diary can influence someone to not only find the entrance but also release the, what was it you said? Basilisk?"

"Draco, what exactly are you trying to say?" His father asked him with, venom dripping from his tone.

"I'm simply stating the obvious, father. I am not fully aware of the powers this diary holds, whereas you are. Therefore, I cannot completely understand or comprehend the capabilities it has. However, I will be there to witness it when it does work," Draco smiled at his father, although it wasn't genuine.

"I love the fire you bring to the table Draco! This is fantastic. Now, Lucius, there's no need to get angry," Augustus said to the man who was vibrating on the spot as he looked at his son in disgust.

"He wasn't saying your plan was going to fail, or that it was stupid. He is only curious, he hasn't seen the magic we have seen or experienced the power that the Dark Lord had, forgive him for being a little naive. Besides, it's healthy to have someone keeping you on your toes," the man smiled and clapped his hands together before he apparated out of the room.

Lucius turned to his son and said nothing before he left the room, Draco following close behind before entering the fireplace as they headed back to Malfoy Manor together.

"What were you thinking?" Lucius snarled at his son the moment they landed in the Manor. Narcissa entered the room quickly when she heard the fireplace roar, anticipating there would be tension after today's meeting.

"Would you rather I voiced my opinion around the table like the Carrows did?" Draco asked his father, his voice remained level as he didn't want to risk riling his father up any more than he already had.

"I'd rather you not voice your opinion at all if all you have to say goes against me!" Lucius snapped.

"Which is it, father? Do you want me to get involved in these matters and grow to be a man that can defend myself in situations like you did today or would you rather I be the silent obedient type?" Draco's words enraged his father, even more, embarrassment clear on his face. He said nothing in response and simply glowered at Draco before he stormed out of the room, leaving him speechless staring at his mother.

"Do I want to know?" Narcissa asked.

"Likely not, do we have a lesson today?"

"No, I think our lessons are near enough to complete Draco. You've done so well, I cannot gain any access to your mind at all now. However, it could be that it is because you are anticipating someone casting the spell. You will need to practice keeping that wall up constantly, I fear that it will take you longer to guard yourself if you are hit unexpectedly."

"Does this mean you are going to be getting me unexpectedly?" He asked his mother.

"It does," she said with a small smile and she wandered off to find her husband.

Draco nodded at his mother before she left, thankful he didn't have to endure another lesson today. All he wanted to do was fly off to his little island and isolate himself for a while. He needed to process what had happened today, but before he did that he needed to take a trip to the library.

Once he reached the library he searched for creatures and magical beasts. High and low he looked until he found books on reptiles, knowing these would be the ones he needed, he placed them into a bag and wandered out of the library to find his broom. As soon as he stepped outside the fresh air hit him and he breathed it in deep. The warm rays from the August sun touched his face and he kicked off from the ground and flew across to his small island in the distance.

Draco sat in his tree and looked out into the distance, admiring the view of the sun shining down onto the lake that sat beside the grounds of his house. For a moment he allowed himself to think about the last time he was there and he realized it had been Christmas when he was still able to communicate with Hermione. His face warmed when he thought about his frizzy-haired friend, he wondered what she had been doing all summer. It had been more difficult than he had anticipated to not speak to her all summer but he knew deep down it was for the best. Although he could've kept his father from reading his thoughts had he been caught with a letter from her, he might not have been able to stop his father from figuring out where the letter had come from.

Thinking of Hermione made him happy and excited to see her again but, before long, he became irritated with the situation he was in and how it wasn't easy to have a friendship with her. It also brought him back to his present dilemma caused by the meeting he attended today.

If his father's plan worked, there would be a Basilisk roaming the halls of Hogwarts, targeting muggleborns. The idea of this turned his stomach as he thought about the danger Hermione would be in and so he turned his attention to his books. He had set himself a mission to search for as much information as he could on Basilisks, he needed a fail-safe, he needed to find a way to protect Hermione, even if it meant ruining his father's plan entirely. He wasn't going to let her get hurt, or worse. Draco shuddered at the thought and buried his head in his books, he would find a way.

He had to.

~X~

Draco walked aimlessly around Borgin and Burkes whilst his father conducted business with the shop keeper. Today was the day Lucius was going to choose his victim for the diary and he had a nagging feeling in his stomach.

Draco followed his father as he headed out of the shop and away from Knockturn Alley into Diagon Alley where he would find the remainder of his school supplies. His father insisted on taking care of something whilst Draco found something to occupy himself with, assuming he was planting the diary on someone he simply nodded and wandered off to Flourish and Blotts as he had a mission of his own.

The previous night when Draco sat in the tree researching on the creature known as a Basilisk, he had been successful and had found a way to weaken one. He contemplated ripping the page out of the book and keeping it for a later date but he didn't want to run the risk of ever being caught. If someone ever suspected him of giving information that brought in the downfall of his father's plan, there would be evidence of a torn page in the Malfoy Library that would lead straight back to him. Instead, he decided to find the same book in the bookstore and take it from there.

Once he made his way past the gaggle of women in the store he managed to find the book he needed and turned with it, leaning over the banister. For a moment he looked away from his book and watched as the women in the shop chattered loudly and squealed as the store owner announced a five-minute warning for the man they had all been waiting for. Draco sniggered to himself as he watched the pathetic women causing a fuss as they waited. The chime of the bell that hung above the door to the shop drew Draco's attention away from the women.

Everything thereafter seemed to happen in slow motion, his heart stopped and his stomach flipped as he watched the two people who had just entered the store. His eyes focused on the young girl who was laughing, she glowed as she smiled and hit the boy next to her playfully in the arm. Her infectious laugh brought a smile to his face as he faked an injury and held his arm.

Draco watched as her hair bounced while she walked deeper into the store, the sun catching her honey brown eyes making them glisten. He caught his breath as he tried to avert his eyes from the young girl, and back to his book once more as she walked out of view. He swallowed and steadied his breathing, she was right there, in the same store as him, just a few feet away. It had been weeks since he had seen her or spoken to her, and yet all he could do was observe from a distance. He sighed as he turned back to the book to find the page he was searching for.

He may not be able to openly speak to her but he would be damned if he couldn't protect her this year.

**Author Note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta! Honestly could not have finally finished first year without her!

As you will all realise, the first 10 chapters are set around the first year, the next 10 will focus on the second year and it will follow that pattern there after. Just to prewarn you all.. second year is going to test Dramione, it's not going to be pretty. I hope you're all enjoying the story, I'm loving getting the feedback you've been giving me, be it good or bad I love hearing what you all think!


	11. Eleven

_1992 - Second Year_

Draco tore out the page from the book he had been reading, the page he needed detailing Basilisk's weaknesses. His eyes found Hermione once more as the thoughts of different scenarios in which he could talk to her danced around his head. Eventually, he decided the only way to get even close to her without raising suspicion would be to pick a fight with Harry.

"Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a book shop without making the front page," Draco sneered as he walked into the path of the group heading towards the door. Hermione's eyes instantly moved to his and he watched as her face lit up entirely at the sight of him, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Leave him alone," A small, younger girl stepped forward with a glare on her face she wore solely for Draco.

He moved his eyes to the smaller girl, breaking his stare away from Hermione, smirking at her clear detest towards him, "Look Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend," Draco sniggered before his smile was wiped off his face as he felt the familiar tap of his father's cane on his shoulder.

"Now, now Draco, play nicely," his father drawled as he pushed his son to one side for a better look at the group in front of him, "Harry Potter," he marveled, holding out his hand for Harry to shake, "Lucius Malfoy," he introduced himself.

Draco took this opportunity to glance at Hermione who had paled at the sight of his father. She was right to feel fear when she saw him.

Hermione's stomach had done a backflip once she realized that the man before her was Draco's father. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the memories of Draco informing her of his father's beliefs - how she didn't deserve her magic, how being academically better than Draco warranted physical abuse towards his own son. She felt pure hatred as she looked towards the man, slight fear, but mostly she despised every inch of his being. Drawing her eyes away she found herself moving behind the group towards Draco, her mind screamed at her to stop but her body moved towards him anyway. She had missed her friend and the stories Draco had told her about his father made her want to protect him from the monster who confronted Harry.

Harry stretched out his hand and took hold of Lucius's and within seconds Lucius had pulled Harry forward. He used his cane to push back Harry's fringe to get a closer look at his scar on his head, "Forgive me, your scar is legend - as is the man who gave it to you," Lucius loosened his grip of Harry as he finished examining the scar.

"Voldemort killed my parents, he was nothing more than a murderer," Harry glared at the man as he stood back.

"You must be very brave to speak his name.. or very foolish," Lucius gave him a half-crooked smirk.

Silence from Harry had brought Hermione's attention back to the situation at hand and she felt a compelling urge to stand up to the man, "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing it's self," Everyone turned to her as she finished speaking, including Lucius.

"You must be, Miss Granger?" Lucis looked toward Draco for confirmation and he nodded to his father, eyes wide as his unspoken words of disgust bore a hole into him. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Lucius that Hermione had made her way closer to his son, "Yes, Draco has told me all about you, and your parents," he finished.

Hermione turned to glance at her Mum and Dad, Lucius's gaze followed her as he crinkled his nose, "Muggles aren't they?" He asked, turning his eyes back to Hermione who's face turned into a scowl, whilst her ears burned red.

"Let's see, red hair, vacant expressions... Tatty second-hand books-you must be the Weasleys," he said as he picked up a book from the smaller Weasley's cauldron.

"Children! It's a bit mad in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well. Weasley Senior," Lucius spoke as he looked at the man who had joined the group. Arthur Weasley turned to him with an equally distasteful look on his face as the one he was being given.

"Busy time at the Ministry Arther, all those extra raids? I hope they're paying you over time, but then.. judging by the state of this I'd say not," he said as he tossed the book back into the cauldron he had taken it from, "What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizards if they're not even paying you well?"

"We have a very different meaning of what disgraces the name of wizards, _Malfoy_," Arthur angrily said.

"Clearly," Lucius's smirk had fallen from his face and he was no longer interested in niceties, "Associating with muggles, and I thought your family couldn't stoop any lower. See you at work," he finished before he turned and headed out of the shop.

Draco stepped down from the remainder of the stairs and turned to the group once more, "See you in school," he finished his sentence by looking directly at Hermione, his eyes lingering on hers before he turned and left. He hoped nobody had noticed.

~X~

Hermione sat aboard the Hogwarts Express in a cabin where she had been waiting for the arrival of Harry and Ron, but they were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't shift the uneasy feeling that she had in her stomach when the boys didn't turn up on the train.

"Hermione," a voice brought her out of her worrying thoughts. Turning towards to carriage door that was now closing behind Fred, she smiled once her eyes met his face.

"Are you ok?" He asked her as he sat opposite her.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"I was walking past your cabin when I noticed the look on your face. For someone so happy and smiley all the time, you looked.. very sad." Fred told her as he rubbed the back of his neck.

She recognized this as a thing people do when they're nervous or embarrassed, boys in particular she noted. Draco used to do this towards the beginning of their friendships, she smiled to herself as she reminisced the early days, "I'm fine Fred honestly, I'm just worried about where Harry and Ron are. Why wouldn't they be on the train?" Her concern showing as Fred sat up straight.

"I suspect they're finding other means of transport," a smirk appeared across Fred's lips as he thought about the car that his dad had parked outside of Kings Cross. If his brother had missed his train he had no doubt that he would be arriving by car instead.

"Something tells me you know more than you're letting on Fredric Septimus Weasley," Hermione crossed her arms looking down her nose at him.

"Ooo full name, does this mean I'm in trouble?" Fred joked, copying Hermione's look and making her giggle.

"Just tell me what you know," She tried again to be serious but failed when another giggle escaped her lips as she looked over at Fred who was trying to give her the puppy dog eyes.

"I don't know anything 'Mione, honestly. I was just implying that if they missed the train they would most likely find another way here, don't worry my little brain box," he said as he stood up and ruffled her hair. She chuckled and smacked his hand away as he headed towards the door.

"There you are," George's announced as he arrived at Hermione's cabin, standing in the doorway, "Come on, we are off to go and terrorize some Slytherins!"

"Marvellous, my favourite past time!" Fred cheered.

"I want to see if we can make Draco squirm as much as his dad did."

"Impossible, he almost laid an egg when his father walked into the book store."

"I would too if my dad looked like that."

"Scary thought George - dad with long greasy hair."

"And a very questionable dress sense."

"What're you, the fashion police?" George questioned his brother, shaking his head in mock.

"I'm only saying he dresses the way he does to intimidate others, but he's only scaring himself when he has to look in the mirror," George chuckled at Fred's explanation and patted him on the shoulder before he wandered off.

Shaking his head Fred turned back to Hermione, "Give me a shout if you want some more company, I'll be happy to escape my cabin for a couple of hours," he gave her a small smile before he left.

Hermione had finally settled from her outburst of giggles and picked up her book, yet another year of sitting in a carriage on her own.

~X~

Towards the end of the Start of the Year feast, Harry and Ron finally made their way to the empty seats that Hermione had saved from them. They sat down with their heads hung low.

"Where have you two been?!" Hermione hissed at the boys as Ron began to add piles of food to his plate.

"We missed the train..." Harry responded, still not quite understanding why or how they had managed to miss their train.

"Did you boys have a nice journey?" George raised his voice across the table to Harry and Ron.

"Enjoy the flight?" Fred asked and turned to his brother George, both laughing before they went back to their own conversations.

The tables began to clear despite Ron's protests and students made their way to their common rooms. Ron, grumpier than ever that he didn't get to finish his supper, stormed ahead in hopes there would be snacks of some sort waiting in his dorm. Harry walked ahead with Fred and George, telling them all about his journey to Hogwarts in Mr. Weasley's car whilst Hermione lingered at the back of the group.

She had almost forgotten the beauty of Hogwarts. The paintings that hung on the walls that told so many stories, the carvings along the pillars and the statues between every alcove, all of which were a beauty of their own. While Hermione lost herself in a trance of the architecture of the school a hand gripped her arm and she found herself being pulled to the side into darkness.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and once they had she recognized the pair of grey eyes looming down on her. Immediately she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. As always, it took him slightly longer to move his arms still so unused to showing affection but he hugged her back none the less.

"I've missed you Draco!" She whispered as she held him.

"I never would have guessed," he laughed as she pulled away, smiling as she hit him playfully.

"You're one of my closest friends Draco of course, I'm going to miss you. Between you and Harry I haven't heard anything from either of you all summer... That's a long time to go without contact from my best friends!"

He laughed as the familiar scold in her voice warmed him, he hadn't realized just how much he had missed his Gryffindor friend until she was right in front of him, "Well we're here now, aren't we?" He asked her, she took a moment to glance around the dark alcove he had pulled her into. She smiled up at him, thankful he had sought her out before heading to his dorm.

"I have something to tell you, something important about things that are going to happen this year," Draco's voice had turned serious and it made Hermione feel on edge about whatever he had to tell her, "We'll arrange to meet soon, look out for my note. For now though, head back to your dorm-no detours, just go straight there."

"You're scaring me Draco, is everything ok?"

"Everything will be fine Hermione, just go get some rest."

His smile didn't reach his eyes but Hermione knew she wasn't getting anything more out of him just yet. She looked up at his face and realized he had grown, he was taller than she was now. His eyes looked darker, his facial features more defined and his hair pushed back. Hermione nodded at him and left the alcove, heading to her dorm room as Draco watched. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell her about his father's plans or what exactly he was going to say but he would have to think of something soon as no doubt whatever victim his father had chosen had already opened the diary.

~X~

Draco made his way to the Slytherin common room, a place he wasn't sure he had missed or not over the holidays. Upon opening the portrait, he heard the familiar shrill of Pansy's voice and it was decided, he had _definitely_ not missed the Slytherin common room.

"Draco, nice of you to join us," Blaise said across the room as Draco made his way to the sofas where they all sat.

"How was your summer, anything interesting happen?" Blaise asked. Out of all of his Slytherin friends, Blaise was the only one who knew the extent of his father's demands to have him more involved in his business concerning the former Death Eaters. Although he didn't understand it and would make constant jokes, Blaise knew the seriousness of it.

"Something interesting, as you put it, will be happening this year," Draco told him.

"Oh really? Pray tell Draco, what's occurring?"

"There isn't really much I can give away, but I can say there will be a clean-out of any unwanted students," Although it made him uncomfortable, Draco knew he had to put on a front. There was a part he had to play in all of this and if he didn't, who knows what would happen to him.

"Mudbloods?" Pansy piped up. Draco simply nodded at her in response.

"Interesting indeed," Blaise commented as he scrunched his eyebrows, wanting further information but he knew now was not the time to ask.

"I hope Granger is on that list," Pansy said bitterly. Blaise snorted and rolled his eyes, he knew despite his reassurance that there was nothing going on between Draco and Hermione. Pansy was still jealous and hated her more than if it were that she was just a Muggleborn.

"I don't think there is a specific list Pansy, however, she meets the criteria," Draco struggled to get the whole sentence out. He was extremely worried and since the meeting, he had been searching for a way to prepare his Gryffindor friend for what was going to happen that year.

"Pansy, tell Draco about the conversation you overheard on the train," Blaise told her, a devilish smirk on his lips.

Draco turned to Pansy and watched as her face screwed up with confusion, "I overheard the Weasley twins talking about your father. Apparently, you bumped into them all at Diagon Alley?"

"I did.. what was being said? I can only imagine as father kindly reminded them how they're a disgrace to wizards, they're probably still bitter," This comment earned him a few sniggers of agreement from his fellow Slytherins.

"They were saying how he tries to instill fear into anyone that isn't a pureblood, but his long greasy hair and questionable fashion sense only scares himself in the mirror. They said you play the big part but as soon as your father walked in you nearly laid an egg."

Draco seethed as he listened to Pansy's words, he shouldn't care what the twins thought about him, especially when he considered them to be nothing more than Blood Traitors, but he did care.

"Then she started giggling and the twins started doing impressions of you and your father to entertain her, she was egging then on. They stopped once they realized I was watching."

"Her?" Draco asked

"Granger," Blaise answered and smirked at him, he took pleasure in Draco's reaction as he paled at her name being mentioned. He knew the likelihood of what Pansy was saying was probably mostly exaggerated, yet he thrived off the fury Draco was feeling right now.

"Then they started questioning her about the Weasel. From what I could gather she spent quite some time at the Weasleys shack over the holidays, her and Weasel

are a thing now or something," Pansy shrugged, still oblivious as to why Blaise would want Draco to know all of this, surely it was best not to add fuel to the fire.

"Like I said, clearly still bitter," Draco said through his clenched teeth. Blaise smirked as he stared at Draco, who deep down knew that what Pansy was saying was probably a very twisted version of the truth. That didn't change the fact that he had still been spoken about, regardless of how exaggerated the story was.

"In other news, are you going to be trying out for the Quidditch team this year?" Theo asked Draco to break the tension he couldn't understand had been built.

"Yes, and when I make the team father said anyone on the Slytherin team will receive a new Nimbus 2001," Draco said, thankful for the change in subject as he tried to calm himself down.

"I better hope I make the team then! Because I need a new broom, so Lucy can send one my way !" Theo said.

"Theo, I dare you to call him that to his face," Blaise said, smirking.

"He'd be the one laying an egg then," Draco said, his humor on the situation finally lightening the mood and the group of Slytherins relaxed knowing Draco had too.

~X~

The following morning Hermione found herself pushing her breakfast around her plate, her mind still fixated on whatever Draco wanted to speak to her about. She had been so focused on her train of thought that she had completely missed the morning post delivery. It wasn't until she heard the shrieking voice of Molly Weasley that she was brought out of her own thoughts.

"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOU'RE FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME! And Ginny, dear, congratulations on making it into Gryffindor. Your Father and I are so proud."

The letter finished with a huff and disintegrated in front of Ron's face. The hall sat completely silent before the Slytherin table erupted into laughed, everyone else following soon after. Ron's ears burned red as he tried to hide his face behind his hand.

Hermione shook her head at the laughter and placed a hand on Ron's arm, "It's okay Ron, everyone will forget about it soon enough, it could be worse."

"How Hermione?! How could it be worse!?"

"Well.. your mum could've stormed the place to delivered the message in person?" Harry added, trying to reassure his best friend but couldn't hide his laughter. Ron's face paled at the thought, Hermione rubbed his arm once more and shook her head at Harry's failed attempts of reassuring him.

The Slytherins had calmed down from the show they had just witnessed at the Gryffindor table, Draco's face falling as he watched Hermione comfort Ron. Suddenly his theory that Pansy's story had been exaggerated was starting to crumble and his stomach turned at the idea of his Gryffindor friend talking about him-laughing at him. Turning back to his food he wondered how it differed from what he did, he too had gone along with whatever everyone else was saying about her. Sometimes he even took it a step further and initiated the name-calling, but it felt so different actually knowing she had joined in, the entertainment on his expense had all been for her.

"Told you they were a thing, look at the way she comforts him. 'Oh Weasel, I hope you're okay!'" Theo joked as he grabbed Blaise's arm.

"'No Granger, I'm not! I need a shoulder to cry on!'" He joked back in return.

"'Come here sweetikins,'" Theo said as he pulled Blaise's head to his chest and smothered him, Blaise pushed away from him laughing. Draco shook his head at the display of the boys, forcing a smirk on his face.

"Sweetikins, Theo? Really?" Pansy laughed.

"Well, I don't know what pet names they're going to have for each other, do I?" He shrugged his shoulders at her. The Slytherins continued to eat their breakfast, laughing and joking about Rons Howler whilst Draco remained silent, occasionally snorting at the appropriate places but his mind was elsewhere. He dared another look at the Gryffindor table and watched as Hermione nudged Ron with her shoulder, trying to coax a smile out of him and he turned back down to his plate scowling. Was everything Pansy said true?

~X~

The entirety of the second-year female students sat in their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year, swooning over their new Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart.

The male students of the classroom had chosen to ignore the new Professor, he was so full of himself it was uncomfortable to watch. Draco had completely switched off to the point where he was beginning to feel his eyes getting heavy until he heard Lockhart reveal the topic for their lesson.

"-I must warn you not to scream, it might provoke them!" He yelled as he tore away the cloth covering the cage that had been rattling on his desk. Once the cloth was removed it was clear for the class to see that inside was nothing more than Pixies.

"Cornish pixies!" Seamus laughed.

"Freshly caught Cornish Pixies! Laugh if you will Mr. Finnigan but Pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters... let's see what you make of then now!" Lockhart said as he opened the cage.

The pixies burst out of the cage, darting all over the room. They were so fast it was difficult for anyone to make any sense of where the pixies were at one time.

Draco moved off his seat, hiding next to his desk, glancing back he noticed the rest of the Slytherins had already scarpered. He turned back to the room once more to search for Hermione, his eyes landed on the bushy-haired Gryffindor who was currently fighting off pixies that were attacking Ron. Draco scowled at the scene, her first reaction had been to make sure Ron was ok and it... angered him. Turning away from her, he quickly left the classroom.

Hermione finally managed to slow the Pixies down with an Immobulus charm after the class, and the Professor, had evacuated and had left them to put them back in their cage.

"Why is it always me?" Neville asked as he hung from the light fixture on the ceiling.

~X~

Draco sat in the courtyard with the rest of his friends laughing about the poor excuse for a Professor that Lockhart was. Thoughts of Hermione's natural reactions still floated through his mind as he struggled to process what he was feeling towards his Gryffindor friend.

They had grown quite close over the past year and, although there were clear complications with their friendship, it didn't make him consider her any less of a friend, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling he had in his stomach. She had laughed along with the twins as they mocked him and she hadn't even thought to check on him when the Pixies were causing havoc in the classroom, clearly something was different, something had changed. But what? He couldn't put his finger on it and he didn't understand what was different now.

"Did you see the way Granger protected Weasel when the Pixies flew out? It's almost laughable how pathetic he is, having a girl come to the rescue yet again," Blaise laughed with the group.

"I think it's sweet," Theo commented with all seriousness in his tone before he couldn't contain his laughter anymore, the rest of the Slytherins joining in.

"I'd be embarrassed if Pansy was laying over me fighting off Pixies, of all things," Draco commented, making the group laugh even more.

"But I'd do it none the less Drakey," she said as she cuddled up next to him on the wall.

Draco shifted uncomfortably and screwed his face up in disgust, but her grip was firm, "It's pathetic, no man should need to be protected by a woman," he said bitterly.

"She obviously wears the trousers in their relationship, they're both a bunch of women," Blaise added.

"They're both pathetic," Draco laughed, the group dispersed as they headed towards their next lessons.

Hermione had frozen against an alcove close by after she heard Blaise mention her name. She stood and listened as the conversation played out, sneaking a glance at Pansy as she watched her move closer to Draco, glaring into their backs and her stomach flipped as she heard Draco call her pathetic.

As soon as the group wandered off she let out the breath she had been holding in, feeling a ray of emotions as she processed what she had overheard. She wasn't naive to believe there would never be any rumors about her and one of her friends. Her closest friends were predominantly male after all but hearing it being discussed with such disgust whilst Draco going along with it was not something she had anticipated.

She tried to push the conversation out of her mind as she headed towards her next lesson. Somethings changed she thought, but what?

~X~

Hermione sat with Ron in the courtyard as they went over their DADA homework. Apparently, their lesson being disrupted by Pixies wasn't a good enough excuse to get out of homework, which Ron was displeased by as he droned on to Hermione about it. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mass of green approaching red and nervousness shot through her body.

"This can't be good," she said to Ron, drawing his attention to the same thing she was looking at. The Gryffindor Quidditch team were fast approaching the Slytherin team and neither one of its members looked happy.

"-in order to train their new Seeker.. you have a new Seeker? Who?" Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor team, asked Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin team. Their team parted ways to reveal their new Seeker.

"Malfoy?" Harry questioned as Draco stood forward smirking.

"And that's not all that's new this year, Potter," Draco said as he shifted his broom from one shoulder to the other.

"Those are Nimbus 2001's! How did you get those!?" Ron gasped.

"A gift from Draco's Father," Marcus smirked alongside Draco.

"You see, Weasel, unlike some, my father can afford the best. We aren't all as pathetic as you," Draco sniggered, the rest of the team joining him.

There was that word again, the word Hermione had heard Draco call him herself, with her own ears. Fuelled by fire that he had caused, Hermione stepped in to defend her friends, "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, they got in on pure talent," she said with a scowl towards Draco.

Draco flinched as she closed her mouth and finished speaking, before he could stop himself he walked closer to Hermione, starring down into her eyes. His suspicions that something had changed were just confirmed and rage ran through him as he'd realized that whatever had happened had affected her perception of him completely. Before he could fully process what he was doing, he responded, "No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," despite feeling temporarily paralyzed from the inability to control his mouth, the words still came out slowly.

Hermione's face fell completely as tears built up in her eyes. Draco's stomach dropped and his entire body turned cold as the realization of what he had said dawned on him. He felt sick as he watched a single tear roll down her cheek, knowing the friendship they had built over the last year, the tight bond they had forged with countless nights sat by their window having endless conversations, had broken with just a few short words.

"You'll pay for that one Malfoy!" Rons voice broke Draco's stare away from Hermione's as he turned his attention towards an angry Ron who had his wand pointed towards him, "Eat slugs!" He yelled as a lime green flash appeared through the tape of his wand, sending Ron flying across the courtyard.

Hermione and the Gryffindor team rushed over to Ron, examining his green face.

"Are you okay Ron?" Hermione asked, but before she finished her sentence a large slug escaped his mouth, leaving a trail of slime down his chin.

"Let's take him to Hagrid, he'll know what to do," Harry told Hermione as they both guided Ron off the ground, another slug falling out of his mouth in the process.

As they guided him across the courtyard Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin team once more, all in fits of giggles until her eyes landed on Draco's expressionless face. She couldn't decide what she felt more: angry that he had provoked Ron, or heartbroken that he'd used the one word that she hated more than anything.

**Author Note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!

I am trying to keep things very similar to the original story, atleast by the movies as it's less time consuming to refer back to the movies for certain conversations, however not everything will be strictly canon. I have to build my own version of the characters up somehow so naturally, that means some things will change. Never the less, hope you enjoyed the chapter and what's to come!


	12. Twelve

_1992 - Second Year_

Ron sat in Hagrid's hut with his head in a bucket, occasionally heaving as slugs left his body. Harry tried to comfort him by rubbing his back, but it seemed nothing was helping the situation as every few minutes Ron would turn purple and another slug would appear.

"Nothin' to do but wait until it stops I'm afraid," Hagrid said over the sounds of Ron's retching, "Better out than in. Who was Ron tryna curse anyways?" He asked.

"Malfoy. He called Hermione... Well... I don't know exactly what it means. I've heard Zabini and Nott use the word before but I've never understood what it meant," Harry answered.

Hermione removed herself from beside Ron and walked toward the window as she felt the tears prick in her eyes, "He called me a mudblood," she told Hagrid as she stood with her back towards the rest of the room.

"He did not!" Hagrid gasped.

"Whats a mudblood?" Harry asked as he realized their reactions meant the word must be highly offensive.

"It means dirty blood," Hermione answered as she spun around to look at Harry, tears rolling off her cheeks, "A mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is muggle-born, someone with non-magical parents, someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation," she finished.

Harry felt his cheeks burn slightly with rage, he couldn't comprehend someone being judged for something they had no control over, nevermind one of his best friends.

"You see Harry, there's some wizards, like the _Malfoys_ who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call _pureblood._"

"That's horrible!" Harry scowled as Hagrid explained.

"It's disgusting," Ron said after he threw up another slug.

"And its a load of codswallop! Dirty blood, there isn't a witch or wizard alive today that isn't half-blood or less, more to the point! They're yet to think of a spell that our 'ermione cant do," Hagrid said as he turned from Harry to Hermione, "Come here," he said, lowing his voice as he held out his hand for her to hold.

"Don't you think on it 'ermione, don't you think on it for one minute! Ey?' he said as he smiled at her, patting her hand and making her shake slightly.

Hermione could feel herself smiling at the warmth that Hagrid's fatherly touch gave her, she wiped her tears from her eyes and went back to sit next to Ron who had nearly stopped throwing up slugs.

"I have to go do something, I'll meet you both at the common room," Harry announced as he stood up and left Hagrid's hut.

He made his way up the hill towards the castle, determined to seek out Draco. After hearing the meaning of the word he had just witnessed Draco call on of his best friends and seeing the aftermath of what the effect that word had on her, he wanted to find him. He wasn't quite sure what he had planned to do once he did, he just knew he had to do something.

As he reached the castle he made his way through the courtyard and to the hall, it was supper time which meant most of the school should be gathered there. He walked through the doors of the hall, examining the Slytherin table until his eyes landed on the familiar blonde-haired boy who sat laughing with his friends. Before he could think about what he was doing, Harry had marched over to the table, the group of Slytherins that surrounded Draco turned the gaze to Harry, curiosity plastered across their faces.

"Where's your girlfriend Potter?" Blaise asked with a knowing look on his face.

"Yeah, and where's Granger?" Theo asked, causing the Slytherins to erupt in laughter, Harry's ears burned as the Slytherins continued to mock Ron.

"Do you get a kick out of making other people miserable, Malfoy?" Harry asked, ignoring the giggles that still poured out of the other Slytherins mouths.

"I have to get my jollies somewhere, Potter."

"So its all well and good reducing someone to tears with the use of one word, all so you can get your jollies?"

Draco flinched at Harry's words, his smirk instantly removed from his face as it sunk in that he was referring to Hermione. He had been the cause of those tears, at least with Ron he wasn't fully to blame. Ron had cast the spell, his wand had backfired, even if Draco had provoked him it was still Ron's actions that caused him to hex himself. Whereas Hermione's pain was different and he knew that.

"She shouldn't be so sensitive," Blaise interjected.

Harry ignored Blaise and continued to glare at Malfoy, "Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and purebloods were disgraced for maintaining their blood status through questionable measures?" Harry said with a sly tone in his words, narrowing his eyes at the Slytherins.

Draco knew exactly what he was implying, it took Blaise and Theo a few moments to connect the dots whereas the rest of the Slytherin group wore the same confused expressions on their faces.

"Is there a problem, Potter?" Professor Snape's voice prevented anyone from saying anything further, his question aimed only at Harry.

"No, Sir," Harry said without looking at him and turned away from the group, heading over to his table. Snape turned to the group and eyed Draco before he headed out of the great hall.

"How dare he!" Blaise spat.

"Leave it, Blaise. We will get him back soon enough," Theo told him as he joined his friend in scowling towards the Gryffindor table.

"You sure went quiet towards the end," Blaise snapped and turned his attention to Draco.

"Classic Blaise, can't take your anger out on the person it's actually aimed at so you choose the first person in reach. I'm not interested, like Theo said, he will get his comeuppance soon enough," Draco finished by standing up at the table, storming out of the hall and heading to his favorite place.

~X~

Hermione had taken herself away from the Gryffindor common room to go and study in the library. At least, that was the excuse she gave for wanting to leave. Deep down she wanted to escape the conversations that were being had in the common room. Everyone was talking about Draco being appointed as the new Slytherin Seeker and how he had called Hermione a mudblood, causing Ron to cast a spell that had embarrassingly backfired.

So, she sat in her second favorite place, surrounded by books with her head in her studies distracting herself. However, it wasn't working as well as she had hoped. Instead, the quietness only allowed her to focus on the situation more than if she had stayed with her friends. She sat and wondered what had happened to cause Draco to call her a mudblood in front of everyone. What had happened to cause him to turn against her after all that they had discussed his family's beliefs? She thought they had come so far in their friendship.

"Hermione, dear, its time to pack up. I'm closing the library for the evening," Madam Pince said to her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Hermione began reluctantly packing up her belongings as she continued mulling over her situation with Draco. She considered the pros and cons of asking him directly what had caused his change in attitude but she feared that she wouldn't like the answer. The stubborn Gryffindor inside her couldn't just let their friendship fizzle out without answers. With that, she grabbed her back and headed out of the library, but instead of heading towards the Gryffindor common room, she headed to her and Draco's room instead.

~X~

Draco sat at the window seat in his and Hermione's room - _his family's room - _he mentally corrected himself as a screwed up his face in annoyance. He hadn't seen or spoken to Hermione since the incident in the courtyard. As much guilt he felt in the pit of his stomach, he also reminded himself as to why he said it in the first place.

As he sat staring out of the window, mulling over the whole situation he heard a scuffle outside of the room. For a moment he panicked that his room had been discovered by someone, after all these years of it staying well hidden. What would happen if it was finally found out and destroyed? His father would be furious and would no doubt blame him.

He shifted himself off the seat, his legs hanging over the edge as he faced the entrance to the room, bracing himself to face the noise as the person walked into the room.

"Hermione?" Draco said as he squinted his eyes to adjust his vision and focus on the flustered Gryffindor that stood before him, "What're you doing here?" He asked, his tone deadpan.

All the courage Hermione had built on her journey to the room had evaporated the moment she looked into his eyes and remembered the look on his face as he called her a Mudblood. She grew cold as she fidgeted on the spot, trying so desperately to find her words but the more he stared at her, the more she found herself at a loss.

"Well? If you aren't going to say anything, why have you come?" He moved completely off the seat towards Hermione. A whirlwind of emotions coursed through him as he looked down at her. He was torn between being angry at everything he had learned and regret for lashing out at her.

"You called me a mudblood," Hermione whispered, it was all she could bring herself to say to him. Her voice betrayed her immediately and she struggled to stay stronger the closer he got to her.

Draco froze, he could see the pain in her eyes clearly now, the pain he had caused. Unsure of how to deal with the situation, he began to fidget himself.

"Why?" Hermione asked, still unsure as to whether she wanted to hear the answer.

Draco leaned against the back of the sofa and stared at the ground, finding his voice once more, "Pansy told me about your conversation with the Weasley twins on the train. I didn't believe it at first, but then I saw how close you had gotten with the Weasel and figured she wasn't lying after all. When Lockhart let the Pixies loose, the first person I thought to protect in that situation was you but you were too busy being a human shield for the Weasel to even notice me."

"I was unsure what to believe, then you embarrassed me in front of everyone and expected me to what? Say nothing?" He was looking at her now, watching her every reaction to his explanation, "I wasn't just going to stand there gawping like one of your other friends would do, so I snapped."

"So, let me get this right. Pansy told you some gossip, that you chose to believe over speaking to me first. Then decided that you - who sits at the back of the classroom with the rest of your Slytherin cronies- were more important to protect from Pixies than Ron, who has a broken wand, and was immediately to my right _and_ had 5 attacking him. You said it yourself Draco, you'd be embarrassed if Pansy was laying over you fighting off Pixies, of all things," she said as she scowled at him.

Draco's face fell as he realized she must've overheard his conversation in the courtyard. He opened his mouth to interrupt but Hermione got there first.

"You - who made it so very clear that we cannot be friends outside of this room- wanted me to turn and protect you first?" She had found her voice again, it was strong and clear as she moved closer to Draco, quickly trying to say everything she needed to before her bravery disappeared.

"I made the comment I did about you joining the Quidditch team because you made a dig at Ron that wasn't necessary. He simply asked where the brooms came from, Marcus answered. Nothing further needed to be said, but you couldn't help yourself, you just had to embarrass him, just like your father would've."

Draco flinched at the comparison she had used. His own rage building inside of him as Hermione's depleted. He decided to wait patiently for his opening, he wanted to wait until she had nothing further to say,

"So yes, I made a comment that I knew would embarrass you. I never dreamed that you would've reacted that way and if this is all because of some built-up grudge about Pansy gossiping, then I'm not the one that's pathetic Draco. You are," she huffed as she finished.

Draco waited for a few moments, eyeing the girl in front of him, he could feel the fire inside of him building, "You finished?" He asked, testing the waters to see if Hermione had used up all of her fight. She nodded at him, confirming his suspension before he began.

"Firstly, I didn't believe Pansy's gossiping, I entertained it and then ignored it, because I believed in you. It wasn't until afterward when all the other things that fell into place, that I started to believe that it could be true. Secondly, I didn't expect you to run over and dive on me and protect me from the big bad Pixies, but tell me Hermione was I even a thought in your mind? Did it even pop into your head that I could've been Longbottom dangling from the roof?" He asked and waited momentarily for a response he knew he wouldn't get.

"We are supposed to be best friends and yet everything pointed towards Pansy's story being true and you had changed your mind on how much you valued this friendship. So yes, I bitched and moaned when the group decided to, I joined in. But I don't appreciate being embarrassed like that, I didn't buy my way onto the team, I earned it. I trained hard for it, I've trained as much as possible every moment since I've been able to fly and I finally get a place on the team and you belittle the effort I've put in! In front of your _precious_ best friends no less! I may have acted hastily in that situation but I was bound to snap eventually."

"So you don't regret what you said?" Hermione choked out.

"Do you regret referring to me as my father moments ago?" Draco pushed himself off the sofa and moved closer to her, but Hermione said nothing.

"Clearly this isn't going to be resolved any time soon. If you can sit with your friends and happily take the piss out of me after just 2 months apart, we aren't the close friends I thought we were."

Hermione's face screwed up with confusion, now he had lost her, she thought back to her conversation with the twins on the train and struggled to understand where this rage was coming from, '_Surely that doesn't warrant this behavior, it was nothing'_ she thought.

"I thought you were better than that, but getting the twins to entertain you at my expense, proves how wrong I was. I won't pretend like I have never said anything bad about you but I have avoided it at all costs. I've stayed silent when normally I would comment, avoided answered and dodged subjects that involve you and yes on the odd occasion I have made a comment but I have never sat and watched my friends imitate you and laughed along, encouraging them,"

_'What was he talking about!? What did he think happened?!' _Hermione questioned in her mind but couldn't find the courage to ask those questions out loud.

"And what's worse, you don't deny it. So let's just end it now. It was a fun year _Granger_ but what did we expect? To remain secret friends throughout the whole of school? Constantly running away to this little room every time we wanted to read a fucking book together? We are both right about one thing, we are _both _pathetic," Draco finished and before Hermione could respond he grabbed his bag and left.

Hermione stood in complete shock as his outburst, confused as to what had happened. Shaking her head she moved to sit down at the table, suddenly feeling week at the knees. How had it gotten to this, what had been said to make him so hurt and angry? These were all questions that she knew wouldn't get answered. She wiped away the tears that had started rolling down her face and stood up. She glanced around one more time at her once favorite room in the castle, taking it all in before she left for the last time.

~X~

"Cheer up 'Mione," Ron said as he nudged into her, she faked a small smile to him and he shook his head.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

She knew she couldn't tell him exactly what was wrong with her, he wouldn't understand, "I'm just tired, let's find Harry and go back to the common room."

Ron nodded in response. The pair wandered around the castle as they made their way towards Professor Lockhart's office where Harry was serving his detention. As they turned the corner Hermione was startled by Harry who was running frantically through the castle,

"Harry?"

"Did you hear it!?" Harry panted, his eyes darting all around the hall space that they were in.

"Hear what?" Ron asked as he tried to follow Harry's eyes but he was moving too quickly.

"The voice!"

"Voice? What voice?" Hermione asked, concerned for her friend. She was almost certain she hadn't heard anything on her journey to find him with Ron.

"I heard it first in Lockhart's office, and then again in..." Harry stopped mid-sentence and began to stare at the ceiling. Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried look between themselves before they turned back to their friend.

"It's moving... I think it's going to kill," Harry said before he darted between them both, heading further down the corridor.

Ron looked at Hermione who was just as stunned as he was, "Kill?" Ron asked, but Harry had already put some distance between them.

"Harry wait! Not so fast!" Hermione said as she and Ron took off after him. They both had finally caught up with him when Hermione noticed he was staring out of a window that looked out onto the Dark Forrest. Ron, however, noticed the spiders before the window. Hundreds of them crawled up the wall and out through the gap in the window. He shivered as he stepped back slightly, adding some space between himself and the spiders.

"Strange, I've never seen spiders act like that," Harry said slowly, causing Hermione to finally notice the small spiders that were all nearly through the window.

"I don't like spiders," Ron said as the others turned to notice he had distanced himself. As Harry turned his eyes were drawn to what looked like writing on the floor, squinting his eyes, he tried to read it,

"What's that?" Ron asked, he was the first to notice the writing wasn't actually on the floor, it was just a reflection of what had been plastered on the wall.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the Heir beware," Hermione read aloud, "It's written in blood," she all but whispered.

"Oh no," Harry said as he made his way closer to the wall, Ron and Hermione focused on what Harry had spotted next to the message.

"its Filch's cat," Harry said. He was too focused on the cat hanging by its tail from a candle spike to notice the crowds of students that were making their way around the corners towards them. Harry stood by the message on the wall, eyes flicking between the two corridors filled with students and Professors.

"Enemies of the Heir beware?" Draco read before he turned to the stare at the Gryffindor's.

"You'll be next, mudbloods," Blaise added, making Draco smirk. His eyes avoided Hermione at all costs.

"What's goin' on 'ere? Come on make way, make way! Potter, what're you.." Filch's face, that was usually scrunched at all times, suddenly fell as he looked past Harry and saw his cat hanging from the wall.

"Mrs. Norris.." He stuttered, for a moment he stared at his cat, frozen completely at the site of her tail impaled against the wall, "You.. you murdered my cat," He said as he turned his vacant expression back to Harry.

"No! No.." Harry started to protest, Filch snapped out of his distant gaze and glared down at Harry, slowly moving towards him.

"I'll kill ya.." he mumbled, moving closer, grasping Harry's robes in his fist, "I'LL KILL YA!"

"Argus," Dumbledore's voice separated the crowds as he appeared with McGonagall and Snape following closely behind. His eyes immediately focused on the message on the wall before he turned to Filch who released his grip on Harry almost instantly.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately," he spoke and the crowds started to move, "Everyone except.. you three," he pointed to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Ron gulped as he turned back towards his Professors, Hermione began to fidget whilst Harry remained relatively calm despite the current circumstances. Hermione knew how it looked, she only hoped they wouldn't jump to conclusions.

"She's not dead, Argus, she has been petrified," Dumbledore told Filch in a calming voice.

"Ah! So I thought, it's so unlucky that I wasn't there! I know exactly the counter curse that could've spared her," Lockhart spoke.

Hermione noticed several Professors roll their eyes at the man before Dumbledore bowed his head ever so slightly to look over his half mooned glasses at him. Lockhart fidgeted uncomfortably and moved to look back to Mrs. Norris.

"But how she has been petrified I cannot say," Dumbledore continued.

"Ask 'im!" Filch pointed at Harry, "It's 'im that's done it, you saw what he wrote on the wall!"

"It's not true sir, I swear!" Harry argued, "I never touched Mrs. Norris."

"Rubbish!" Argus protested as he stood visibly shaking on the spot.

"If I may, Headmaster, perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," It was Professor Snape's turn to speak now.

Hermione turned to Harry and Ron in utter shock at Snape's words, it had almost sounded like he was defending them, something they never thought would happen. However, the moment was cut short as he continued,

"However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner," He said as he moved his way towards Harry.

"I'm afraid that's my fault, Professor. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail," Lockhart commented, Snape's head snapped around to eye Lockhart as he spoke.

"That's why Ron and I went looking for him, Professor. We had just found him when he said.." Hermione had started to explain but fell short when she realized that she didn't know how or whether or not to tell the professors what Harry had heard.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape encouraged her to continue.

"When I said I wasn't hungry. We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris," Harry finished, Snape's eyebrow raised at the excuse they had all given before he turned back to Dumbledore, awaiting his input.

"Innocent until proven guilty Severus," Dumbledore said.

"My cat has been petrified, I wanna see some punishment!" Argus stuttered, his shaking growing worse.

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrake. Once mature, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution to all," Dumbledore finished before he dismissed Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to their common rooms and the three walked back in complete silence.

~X~

The second-year students all sat quietly in their History of Magic class, some trying harder than others not to fall asleep. It was the most monotonous class on their schedule and most, if not all, students found Professor Binns's voice to be dull and difficult to focus on. This had been the lesson Hermione was most looking forward to when she started her first year at Hogwarts, she could not have anticipated that a year later she would be struggling to keep her eyes open in the lessons.

Professor Binns had been speaking for over half an hour when Hermione shot her hand up and interrupted him.

"Miss--er -?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked quietly.

Professor Binns examined the classroom of once half-asleep students that came to life at Hermione's question, more alert than they had ever been.

"My subject is History of Magic," he spoke hesitantly, "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his voice and turned back to his book, losing his student's interest once more.

"Please sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?" Hermione pushed. Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, he was certain he had never been interrupted by a student before.

"Well, yes. One could argue that I suppose..." He focused his attention on her and glided through the air towards her desk, "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous, tale-" He began to protest further when he noticed his entire class completely engaged on what he was saying, hanging onto every word he said.

Professor Binns moved swiftly back to the front of the class, completely thrown off by the unusual show of interest. He might be a ghost, but he wasn't a blind one, he could see his students paid little to no attention to his lessons. However now, they were all alert and waiting in anticipation for him to continue.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly, "Let me see... the Chamber of Secrets..." he spoke as he hovered with his back to the class, wondering how exactly he was going to tell a room full of second-year students about the schools oldest urban legend.

"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago, by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

He paused momentarily to glance around the room at his students, all of which were wide eyes and sitting on the edge of their chairs waiting for him to continue, "For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them into the castle to be educated. But then the disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

Professor Binns paused once more, pursing his lips at the deadly silent class. Not a single student had even broken the concentration on him to even discuss what he was saying, they all listened intently.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much. But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his true heir arrived at the school. This heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was a silence as the Professor paused once more. This wasn't the usual silence that filled the room when Professor Binns taught his lessons, this was different. There was an unease in the air as everyone watched and hoped for him to continue. He wandered between the middle aisle of desks before he continued. As he glided further to the back Hermione glanced past him and caught Draco looking her way. For a moment she froze, unsure as to how to hold her face, not wanting to show how upset she still was with him but his expression was cold, nothing like what she once knew. She turned away and faced the front of the classroom.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course. Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible." He finished as he moved back to the front and picked up his book to continue with his lesson.

"Sir - what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?" Hermione asked once more before the Professor had a chance to continue reading.

"That it is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," as he finished his sentence he noticed the nervous exchange in looks amongst his students.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," he said, irritation in his voice.

"But Sir, if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?" Seamus asked.

"You would probably have to use Dark Magic to open it wouldn't you, Professor?" Parvati piped up.

"Maybe you've gotta be related to Slytherin, so that's why Dumbledore never found it.." Ron began.

"That will do," The professor said sharply, "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history. To solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

The class slumped back down again into their usual History of Magic positions. Ron buried his head once more in his arms and Dean rested his head on his hands, gazing back out of the window.

Hermione turned to glance out of the window also, her mind completely buzzing with the new information she had just been given about the legend of the Chamber. But would it be enough to find out who-or what- caused Mrs. Norrice to be Petrified?

**Author Note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	13. Thirteen

_1992 - Second Year_

It had been weeks since Hermione had spoken to Draco. She had decided that the best way not to think about him was to pretend like he didn't exist at all, which was proving to be quite difficult. She shared most of her lessons with him and he was now on the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Which meant even when she went to watch Harry play his most recent game he was there, flying around on Harry's tail. He was even hospitalised after the same Quidditch match, meaning he was also there when Hermione went to visit Harry, however, she prevailed and continued to pretend like he didn't exist.

After their History of Magic class where Professor Binns had told everyone about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went straight to the books. They needed to find out more information on what the monster was that was potentially making its way around the school. After Harry's arm had healed properly from the unfortunate incident during the Quidditch match against the Slytherins, the group of three searched high and low for answers. The three Gryffindors sat in the library, where they were most days, going over old content when Ron decided he had finally had enough.

"Guys, I'm getting a strong sense of déjà vu right now. This feels like the hunt for information on the Philosophers Stone all over again," Ron complained. Harry put down the book he was flicking through and sighed, nodding in agreement with Ron while Hermione stayed focus on the page she was currently reading.

"There must be some other way we can find out information. We don't have much to go off other than the story Professor Binns told us, which when you think about it, wasn't a great deal. We don't know what the monster is, where the chamber is, if it even exists or who this Heir of Slytherin might be," Harry said as he closed the book he had been pretending to read for the past half an hour or so.

"I bet I know who would know something," Ron told Harry. They'd accepted that Hermione wasn't listening to their conversation and moved away from the table to sit by the window,

"Who?"

"Malfoy."

_'Brilliant, I can't even escape him when I'm with Harry and Ron,' _Hermione thought as she closed her book and looked at her friends. Ron and Harry exchanged worried looks like they had just been told off by Hermione's slamming of the book.

"It was just a suggestion, 'Mione, I know he makes your blood boil," Ron said as he moved back to sit on the table with Hermione.

"You're not wrong," Hermione told him.

"He makes my blood boil too," Harry said.

"No that's not what I meant, although that is true. I meant he probably would know something, but he's not exactly going to tell us is he?" Hermione said to them both. She kept her eyes down at the table as she spoke, there was a time when she would be able to ask him. There was a time when she could simply send him a note to meet her in their little room and she could comfortably discuss these issues with him, but that time had passed.

"If only there was a way we could trick him into telling us something," Ron said before he sighed and rested his head on his arms on the table in front of him. It suddenly dawned on Hermione that what Ron was suggesting wasn't actually too out of the question, there was perhaps a way they could trick Draco into telling them something.

"Ron you're a genius!" Hermione exclaimed as she stood up and walked away from the table. Ron looked over at Harry, confusion splashed across their faces before they both stood up and followed Hermione.

"The Polyjuice Potion, of course," Hermione mumbled to herself as she read through the pages, searching for what she needed.

"The Poly-what?" Harry asked.

"The Polyjuice Potion. With the correct ingredients, it allows the drinker to transform into anyone they chose."

"Wicked," Ron said.

"It's tricky though, not to mention we'll be breaking about 50 school rules," Hermione added, Ron's grin was short-lived.

"How long does it take to brew?" Harry asked, ignoring the comment about the school rules.

Hermione screwed her face in disappointment, "About a month."

"A month!? Hermione, half the muggleborns in the school could be attacked by then!"

"I know... But its the only option we've got," Hermione shrugged, moving back to the table. She reached into her bag and removed some parchment and a quill and began to write. Once she had finished scribbling down she passed both Harry and Ron scraps of parchment.

"Both of you focus on getting these ingredients, I'll do the rest. We'll start brewing the potion tomorrow in the girl's toilets on the first floor. I'll see you both later." She finished, packed up her belongings and left.

"She's one of a kind that one," Ron said, shaking his head as he watched her leave. Harry simply nodded and looked down at his list, where was he supposed to find leeches?

~X~

Hermione sat in the middle of the girl's toilets adding ingredients into a cauldron, occasionally stirring when necessary. Harry sat close by reading through the same books they had been looking at for weeks, whilst Ron stood leaning against a toilet cubical and examined their location.

"Enlighten me, _why_ are we brewing this potion in broad daylight, in the middle of the girl's toilets? Don't you think we will get caught?" Ron asked, his question making Hermione chuckle.

"No, no one ever comes in here," she laughed, confusing Ron further.

"Why?"

"Moaning Myrtle," Hermione answered.

"Who?"

"Moaning Myrtle."

"Who's moaning Myrtle?" Ron asked once more.

"I'm Moaning Myrtle!" A nasally voice answered, startling him and forcing him to turn around to confront the owner. His face paled as he saw the ghost of what was clearly a former student of Hogwarts hovering not three feet away from him. Thankfully for Ron, she glided away from him and moved towards the sinks before she turned around to face the group once more.

"I wouldn't expect you to know me. Who would ever talk about ugly, miserable, moping, Moaning Myrtle?" The ghost let out a high pitched cry before she flew down into a cubical, crashing into the toilet with a splash. Ron turned back to Harry and Hermione, shocked at what he had just witnessed.

"That's why," Hermione said and smiled at Ron who had finally closed his mouth and straightened himself up.

"So Harry, you said this House Elf-"

"Dobby. His name is Dobby, Ron," Hermione interrupted.

"Sorry, you say this Dobby is the reason you didn't receive any of our letters over the holidays?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded, "And he's also the reason we missed the train coming to school."

"But why is he doing all of this, I don't understand. What is he trying to protect you from?" Ron asked. The question was mostly rhetorical, he knew Harry didn't have the answer.

"I'm not sure, but this time he mentioned that someone was trying to open the Chamber of Secrets again," Harry added.

"Again? You mean someone has opened it before?" Hermione asked this time.

"Of course! Don't you see, Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's taught Malfoy how to do it," Ron scrunched up his face as he put the pieces together in his head.

"Maybe, but we will have to wait for the Polyjuice potion to know for sure," Hermione replied. She knew Ron had his heart set on Draco having some involvement in this plot against muggleborns. She still had hope that he had nothing to do with this, she would need concrete evidence against him. She frowned into the cauldron and continued to stir and add ingredients.

~X~

Another week had passed since the three Gryffindor's started to brew their potion. Hermione had checked on it every day to make sure it was progressing exactly how the book described, each time pleased with herself at the result.

Hermione followed closely behind Harry and Ron as they made their way back to the common room after their DADA lesson. Harry and Draco had a duel that resulted in a snake being fired from Draco's wand and Snape having to dispose of it. Yet another eventful lesson with Professor Lockheart. Harry was still trying to understand the reaction he got from his classmates at the end of the lesson, nothing was making sense to him. Hermione could tell he wasn't aware of what he had just done.

"It doesn't make sense Ron, why was Justin so angry? All I did was ask the snake not to attack him," Harry said as he walked through the portrait leading into the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh, _that's _what you said," Ron replies.

"What d'you mean? You were right there, you heard me," Harry stopped and turned to Ron with a confused expression written across his face.

Hermione had finally caught up with them and stood by panting as she tried to regain her breath. Although there wasn't much of a height difference between the three of them, she still struggled to keep up with their strides.

"I heard you speaking parseltongue, snake language," Ron told a very dumbfounded Harry who shook his head as he listened to Ron.

"I spoke a different language? But I didn't realise..." Harry started, getting more and more confused by the situation, "How can I speak another language without knowing I can?" He looked at Hermione, hoping one of the many books she read would help in the situation.

"I don't know Harry, but it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something," she told him, her words didn't comfort him as she continued, "Harry listen to me - there is a reason the Slytherin house is a serpent, Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth too,"

"Exactly! And now the whole school is going to think that you're his great great great grandson or something!" Ron added.

"But I'm not! I can't be..." Harry protested.

"He lived a thousand years ago, for all we know you could be," Hermione told him.

Harry looked down at his feet as he tried to take in what his friends had just said, still unable to accept that he was speaking another language without realising. He moved towards the table in the common room and sat down. Hermione looked towards Ron as he shrugged at her, at a complete loss on what to say.

"Hey, Harry, why don't we go to the study hall and go over that Charms homework you and Ron have been struggling on?" Hermione suggested.

"'Mione, can't you see Harry is having a nervous breakdown right now? He doesn't want to go and study," Ron whined, Hermione nudged her elbow into his ribs making him crease over slightly before looking back at Harry,

"No that might be what I need, studying will take my mind off things. Let's go," Harry said without a second glance at his friends before he stepped out of the common room.

After an hour of being in the library and enduring the stares he was receiving from the many students in the study hall, Harry decided he had finally had enough and slammed his book closed, making Hermione jump.

"I'll meet you guys back at the common room," he told her, Ron nodded at him and watched him leave the hall in a huff, with multiple sets of eyes following Harry's movements.

"D'you think he'll be ok?" Ron whispered to Hermione.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and went back to her studying. Truth be told, Hermione didn't think he would be ok. Everything seemed too coincidental for it not to be true, she remembered how he had to argue with the sorting hat to be put into Gryffindor, how he had heard the voices the night Mrs. Norris was petrified, the more recent events only added to the suspicion. Hermione closed her book slowly and said bye to Ron before she too left the study hall. She was determined to check on the potion once more, they desperately needed answers.

~X~

"Hey look, everyone, it's the heir of Slytherin!" Fred shouted as he walked across the courtyard with his brother.

"Be careful, he's a seriously evil wizard!" George added.

"Shut up guys, nows not the time!" Ron piped up. The twins looked at one another and then back at Ron, both standing straight and staring at their younger brother with worried expressions on their faces.

"Yes, Ron."

"Right away."

"Whatever you say," George said, with Fred nodding alongside.

"Why are you guys being weirder than usual?" Hermione asked.

"We wouldn't want Ron to hurt us," George said.

"What George means to say is, we wouldn't want him to set the Heir of Slytherin on us."

"Yeah, imagine being frozen in the same position for the rest of your life," George finished talking by freezing on the spot in an awkward position and Fred mirrored him.

As usual, Ron grew tired of his brother's jokes and picked up some snow off the ground, curling it in his hands and launching the ball he made towards Fred. He imagined he would stay still like the statue he was pretending to be but instead, he dodged it quickly. The snowball continued to fly through the air until it finally landed, hitting Draco square in the face.

Wiping his face and immediately standing up, Draco glared at Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood up at either side of him.

"Uh-oh," Fred said as he turned to Ron.

"Now look what you've done," George added.

Before Ron had the chance to say anything, he was hit in the face with a snowball, thrown by Blaise who was preparing his next. Ron looked towards Harry who gave him the nod to confirm a snowball fight was about to break out in the courtyard.

Hermione wasn't sure of who threw the next snowball before she cowered away, trying to take cover from the hundreds of snowballs being launched around. She wasn't aware of the figure shielding her, to begin with until she realised she hadn't been hit for a while. She turned to see who's body was positioned in front of her, protecting her from any further attacks.

"Don't worry, 'Mione! I've got your back!" Fred shouted above the laughter and playful screams of children throwing snow. Soon enough, every house had joined in until eventually the few Slytherin that remained in the courtyard fled to safety as it dawned on them that they were seriously outnumbered.

"Thank you, Fred," Hermione said as she watched him brush off the remaining snow from his hair.

"No worries," he smiled at her and joined George as they walked back through the castle. Hermione made her way over to Harry and Ron, still laughing from the snowball fight.

"That was a nice bit of distraction!" Ron chuckled, wiping snow off his body. Harry nodded before his face fell once more, it had been a nice distraction, but now he had to return to reality.

"Come on Harry, Fred and George were only joking around before," Ron said as he realised he had reminded his friend why he needed a distraction in the first place.

"They're the only ones," Harry sighed.

"Okay, so half the school thinks you're nipping off to the Chamber of Secrets every night, who cares?"

"Maybe they're right," Harry said before he turned and walked away from his friends.

"Harry... Harry!" Hermione shouted after him as she and Ron hurried to catch up with him. She sighed heavily as he ignored her and continued walking, "Oh come on!" she snapped.

"I didn't know I could speak parseltongue! What else don't I know about myself? Look, all I'm saying is, maybe you can do something, something terrible... And not know you did it," he said as he looked back at his friends, genuine worry written across his face.

"You don't believe that Harry, I know you don't," Hermione replied, "and, if it makes you feel any better, Malfoy is staying for the holidays too."

"Why would that make anyone feel better?" Ron asked confused.

"Because in a few days the Polyjuice potion will be ready. In a few days, we may truly know who the heir of Slytherin is," Hermione told them both.

Ron looked back at Harry who seemed to relax slightly by this. Both of the boys had momentarily forgotten that Hermione was brewing the potion, but this was the news they needed to lift their spirits. After Justin Finch-Fletchley had been the third victim to be petrified, shortly after his incident with Harry in DADA, the whole school was forced to believe that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin and he was attacking Muggleborns throughout the school. They needed answers, and they needed them soon.

~X~

Harry and Ron sat in the great hall for supper, Ron was stuffing his face with food whilst Harry read over the Gryffindor Quidditch Team tactics Oliver had supplied him with. Neither one had realised when Hermione had joined them, placing herself directly opposite and clearing her throat to get their attention.

"Everything's set," she started, "we just need a bit of who you're are changing into."

"Crabbe and Goyle," Harry spoke.

"We also need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating Malfoy."

"How?" Ron asked with a mouthful of food.

"I've got it all worked out," Hermione said as she reached into her satchel and pulled out two small cupcakes, "I filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught, simple but powerful."

She placed the cupcakes in front of Harry and Ron before continuing, "Now, once they're asleep you'll need to hide them in the broomstick cupboard, then pull out a few of their hairs, and put on their uniforms."

"Who's hair are you ripping out then?!" Ron asked her,

"I've already got mine, Milicent Bulstrode, Slytherin. I got this off her robes," Hermione answered as she held up a small vial with hair inside. "I'm going to go and check on the Polyjuice Potion, make sure that Crabbe and Goyle find these," she pointed towards the cupcakes once more before she left.

~X~

Draco wandered aimlessly through the castle, trying to avoid returning to the common room. Blaise has taken up badgering him on the ins and outs of the meetings he had attended with his father over the summer and Draco was beginning to lose his patience with him.

Without realising where he was going, his mind had subconsciously taken him to his family's room where he stood frozen looking up at the dragon statue. He hadn't been to this room since his fight with Hermione. He hadn't performed the spell to remove her access because, although he didn't want to see her, he didn't want to take away this room from her. He knew her well enough to know how important this room had been to her, she once described it as her favourite place in the castle, which given her love for the library, it was clear the room meant something to her.

Draco inhaled and pushed past the veils behind the dragon, entering the room for the first time in weeks. It felt cold and empty. He flicked his wand towards the fire and it immediately roared and brought light to the room. As far as Draco could tell, this room had been vacant for weeks. The pit in his stomach grew as he realised Hermione had also been absent from this room since their fight. She had avoided it just like he had, that was when he recognised he really was alone in there.

He looked towards the window seat and his heart skipped as he remembered the last time he sat there with Hermione. They had been curled up beneath the blankets as they read together, enjoying the company in peacefulness until Hermione broke the silence as usual.

"_Draco?" Hermione asked as she put aside her book. _

_"Hmm?" He responded without looking up at her, she often asked questions when she was reading a book. Some were short and simple, whilst others started a discussion about hypothetical situations where the world was a different place. Draco had gotten to the point where he didn't see the need to look up from his book until he knew for sure his full attention was required. _

_"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Like this question for instance. Draco looked at Hermione as he part closed his book, keeping his finger between the pages to prevent losing his spot._

_"That's a bit of a deep question Hermione, we are only 12," he commented puzzlingly._

_"I'm 13 I'll have you know," She crossed her arms and continued, "I don't mean exactly where do you see yourself, we are both too young to know exactly where we will be. What I meant was, what do you want to be when you grow up?" She rephrased the question and sat upright, waiting for his reply._

_"Again, I'm not sure. Father will no doubt want me to join the family business. We have cousins in Germany and he's in the process of getting them on-boarded with plans to expand the company. Therefore, my presence after school could be required in another country," Draco told her and she nodded politely._

_"That's very interesting," Hermione started, "but I asked what do you want?" _

_Draco put down his book and shifted in his seat, tucking the quilt in around him as he looked out of the window, pondering on the answer to Hermione's question. Nobody had ever really asked him what he wanted, everything had just been expected of him. His life had been mapped out for him by his father and he'd never really considered a different route. _

_"I'd like to be an Auror," Draco answered. He surprised himself with this answer, he hadn't realised himself until he said the words out loud how much he had wanted it. Hermione smiled at his honesty and crossed her legs in excitement and she pressed on for more details._

_"Do they work for the Ministry? Are they like the police?" She asked._

_"Yes and no. They are part of the Ministry, but they're not the police. An Auror is a member of highly trained specialist officers within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it takes great power and strength to be an Auror. It also takes a lot of bravery which is something I lack."_

_"Yeah you were a bit of a scaredy-cat in the Forbidden Forest that night we had detention," Hermione joked._

_"Hey! There's a difference between bravery and stupidity, any normal person would run away from screaming, especially something screaming in the Forbidden Forest! But not Gryffindor's, oh no, they run** towards** the screaming," Draco scoffed and shook his head. _

_"So if this is what you want to do, why do I get the feeling you aren't going to pursue it as an option when you graduate?" Hermione asked, ignoring his comment about Gryffindor's._

_"Because it's not an option for me." _

_"Why not?"_

_"Hermione you must've heard stories about my father, surely? The friends he has, the people he holds close to him, the overall company he keeps? They're all Dark Wizards, they're all people Aurors are trained to hunt and lock up in Azkaban. It's not something I could consider being in the position that I'm in. My father is already having me attend meetings and he will have me at even more throughout the holidays, no doubt." _

_Draco ranted at her, Hermione's face falling as he went on, "I just have to accept what comes my way, maybe if I'd been born in a different world, lived a different life. Maybe then I'd be able to become an Auror but not in this lifetime," he sighed and looked down at his hands._

_Hermione wasn't sure what to say to him, nothing she could say would comfort him. She didn't understand the way his family worked, how the pureblood traditions factored into every decision he made, but she knew nothing she said would change any of it so she just had to accept it. Instead, she moved closer to him and curled up to his side, resting her head on his lap. This was something that felt so natural to both of them now that neither one of them flinched at their proximity when she did it. Hermione reached over and grabbed the book he had been reading and passed it to him, gesturing for him to read it out loud. _

_"But we aren't reading this book together," Draco said._

_"I don't care. I'm tired and the sound of your voice puts me to sleep," she replied as she pulled the quilt up higher, tucking herself in. _

_"Thanks, my voice is boring then?" Draco asked as he chuckled. _

_"You know that's not what I meant, now shut up and read," she said, and so he did. _

_*_

Draco blinked, breaking his trance he had found himself in as he'd stared at the window seat. It all seemed like so long ago now. He would give anything to go back to the way things were, to have his friend back but then so much had happened since then to change it all. He didn't see a way of them ever going back.

He moved towards the fire and sat on the sofa, unable to bring himself to sit by the window. Draco watched the flames dance around, the warmth of the fire radiating through his body, making his eyes heavy until eventually, he fell asleep.

~X~

Draco woke slightly disorientated whilst his eyes adjusted to the room, it had been so long since he had woken up in his family's room that it no longer felt familiar to him. He sat up, straightening his back as his neck creaked, it felt stiff from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

As he stood he glanced around once more and waved his wand to put out the flames before leaving the room. He could feel his mood had plummeted after being in the empty room. He walked through the castle, making his way to the Slytherin common room as he'd put it off for long enough. As he approached the corner the sound of Percy Weasley's voice filled his ears and he froze as he listened closely.

"-You, on the other hand, have no business roaming the corridors at this time of night," Percy said, "What're your names again?"

Draco heard the familiar mumbling of his friends, he rolled his eyes and continued on his route, turning the corner.

"Crabbe, Goyle, where have you two been? Pigging out in the hall all this time?" Draco asked as he made his way towards the group, staring at Goyle in confusion, "Why are you wearing glasses?"

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably as he removed his glasses, mentally kicking himself for not having removed them sooner, "Uh - reading," he stuttered, the only excuse he could come up with.

"Reading? I didn't know you could read.." Draco responded, shrugging it off he turned to Percy and scowled, "And what're you doing down here _Weasley_?"

"Mind you're attitude _Malfoy_," Percy said slowly. Draco smirked and pushed passed him, Harry and Ron following close behind as they all made their way to the common room.

"Bit of luck Malfoy found us, I had no clue where we were going," Ron whispered to Harry who shushed him and gestured his head towards Draco who was only a short distance ahead of them. They watched as he muttered the password and followed him into the Slytherin common room.

Both Gryffindors felt uneasy as they realised they were entering enemy territory.

**Author Note:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!

Hey guys! Hope you're all still enjoying the story so far, sorry about this chapter being shorter than the rest, I've been revising for my exam coming up! I just wanted to say an extra thanks to my Beta for getting this chapter ready for me to post on my birthday, so I hope you've enjoyed it and I'll get cracking on with the next one!


	14. Fourteen

_1992 - Second Year_

Harry and Ron followed closely behind Draco deeper into the Slytherin common room which was surprisingly deserted, much to Draco's liking.

Harry noted that the common room was larger and more spacious than the Gryffindor's, and yet it was noticeably darker. It had a coldness about it despite the fire blazing in the corner of the room. They both continued to follow Draco as he moved towards the open seating area, falling into one of the seats before he looked up at the pair staring down at him.

"Well sit down," Draco told them, looking at them with confusion. Harry and Ron immediately sat down on the sofa beside Draco, taking in their surroundings as he went on.

"You'd never know the Weasley's were purebloods, the way they behave. They're an embarrassment to the Wizarding world, all of them," he finished. Ron couldn't help but clench his fist as he listened to Draco drone on about his family,

"What's wrong with you, Crabbe?" He asked, noticing the fist Ron had screwed up completely. Harry nudged him slightly and Ron coughed, relaxing his hand slightly and focusing once more on the task at hand.

"Stomach ache," Ron answered, gaining an unsympathetic shrug from Draco.

"I'm surprised The Daily Prophet hasn't done a report on all of these attacks. I suppose Dumbledore is trying to hush it all up, father always said he was the worst thing to ever happen to this place," Draco continued before he was interrupted by Harry.

"You're wrong!" Harry yelled, startling Draco who had moved to an upright position to glare at him. Draco stood up and looked down at the Gryffindors masquerading as Slytherins.

"What? You think there's someone worse than Dumbledore?" He asked with venom in his tone. Harry looked at Ron as he realised he could've blown their cover in a matter of minutes before an idea came to his head.

"Harry Potter?" He said slowly.

Draco's face relaxed and his glare replaced with a smirk. "Good one Goyle. You're absolutely right, Saint Potter. And people _actually_ think that he's the Heir of Slytherin?" Draco scoffed as he wandered over to the coffee table close by.

"But then you must have some idea who's behind it all?" Harry pushed, seizing the opportunity.

"You know I don't Goyle, I told you yesterday. How many times do I have to tell you?" Draco huffed, shaking a box he had found on the table, "Is this yours?" He asked Harry who shook his head.

"But my father did tell me this, it's been 50 years since the Chamber has been opened. He wouldn't tell me who opened it, only that they were expelled." Draco knew full well who had opened the Chamber all those years ago, however, Crabbe and Goyle didn't need to know the specifics. He just wanted to entertain their small minds for a moment.

"The last time the Chamber was opened, a Mudblood died, so it's only a matter of time before one of them is killed this time. As for me, I hope it's Granger," Draco smirked as he finished.

As uncomfortable as he felt saying those words, he knew that it would convince them both that anything Blaise may or may not be saying behind his back about his former friendship with Hermione was a lie. However, the reaction he got was not what he had expected from his friends as Crabbe jumped up immediately after he finished speaking,

"What's the matter with you two?!" He asked as he watched Goyle put his arm in front of Crabbe, blocking him from moving anywhere. "You're acting very odd."

"It's his stomach ache," Harry said whilst he watched Draco turn his attention back to the box he had picked up moments ago. He turned to Ron and shoved him back slightly.

"Calm down!" He whispered harshly to him.

Ron's face paled as he started to stutter at Harry in response, "S-s-scar.." Ron whispered.

"Hair," Harry whispered back pointing to his friend's head. Both the boys were starting to turn back to their original form right in the middle of the Slytherin common room. They both darted towards the portrait to make a quick exit.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Draco yelled after them but they had already left.

As Harry and Ron turned the corner from the Slytherin dorms they bumped into a very groggy Crabbe and Goyle. Their eyes pinged open the second they landed on Harry and Ron. All four boys looked at each other as Harry and Ron stood facing them still transitioning back into their original forms whilst looking slightly like Crabbe and Goyle. Ron's brain snapped first and he grabbed Harry's arm as he continued to run towards the girl's toilets on the first floor.

The real Crabbe and Goyle made their way at back to the Slytherin common room, neither one commented on what they had just seen or thought to ask if the other had seen the same thing. Instead, they just continued their slow walk in silence.

"What was that about?" Blaise asked Draco as he appeared in the common room. Draco was still sitting staring wide-eyed at the door his friends had just left through moments ago.

"Haven't a clue," he responded.

"So we haven't had a chance to speak yet about these attacks," Blaise started, moving to sit opposite him. Draco chose not to respond and instead watched his friend and waited for him to go on.

"What's the deal with all these attacks then? What's the end game?" He asked.

"Father said the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened a girl died. I assume the same result is what's to be expected only he wants that person to be Potter."

"Now that would be a treat. Two birds, one stone, wipe out half of the Mudbloods and kill Saint Potter."

"That's the plan Blaise," Draco sighed, completely uninterested in the conversation.

"So what's happened?" Blaise asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a few months ago all someone had to do was mention Grangers name and you would visibly tense up, regardless of what context it was in. Granted it was usually negative, but still, you'd react in some way. Now you're ready to watch her become one of the next victims, what's happened?" Draco straightened himself in his seat and avoided eye contact with Blaise.

For a moment he allowed himself to imagine what things would be like if their friendship was different - if they were different. Would he find it easier to open up to his friend had they been born into different families, raised as something other than privileged Purebloods? He had grown up with Blaise since he was able to walk, they had been the closest of friends and they did almost everything together. Yet, their upbringing on pureblood traditions meant that their friendship wasn't the same as what others might be. He imagined Harry and Ron could talk about these kinds of things and it would stay between them because their loyalties lay with each other, in the friendship. Whereas Draco couldn't trust that Blaise would keep his secrets and if he told anyone, it could ruin everything he was trying to build with his father.

"I've told you before Blaise, me and Granger weren't friends. It might've seemed that way, but that was just your imagination, my friend."

Blaise scoffed but said nothing further on Hermione, he knew when to push and when not to, "Okay, well what about Pansy?"

Draco shuddered and looked at his friend, "Don't get me started on her."

"But this is why I ask, she's clearly obsessed with you and yet you can't stand her, or at least I think you can't. Apparently, I struggle to read what you're actually feeling."

"No, I don't like her. But she has it in her head that we are supposed to get married one day and I think Father wants that too. So, I'm hoping she will grow on me because at the moment she makes my skin crawl. Honestly, all she does is whine and the way she calls me Drakey, urg!" Draco went on making Blaise laugh.

"Yeah, her little pet name for you is..._ interesting_."

"It winds me up to no end but what can I do?"

"What you do best, whatever you're father asks of you."

"Don't say it like that Blaise, you know it's not that simple. Would you say no to my father?"

Blaise shuddered, "Absolutely fucking not."

"Exactly, and he's my father, I have no chance!"

They both laughed together, one of the few rare moments they've had with just the two of them, in over a year.

~X~

Draco woke in the middle of the night covered in sweat and struggling to catch his breath. He had been having the same dream - no, _nightmare_, for the past few nights. In the nightmare, his father had told him to enter the Chamber to confirm that the Muggleborn inside had been killed. Draco searched through the Chamber, scared and alone until he heard screams, he couldn't make out who it was, but they were always of his name. Someone was terrified screaming out for him and each time he picked up the pace and ran he arrived at a lifeless body where he could confirm they were dead.

He never saw the face of the body but he could never forget the hair, it was brunette and soft, but thick and wild and it smelt like apples. He knew who the hair belonged to even without seeing the face that went with it - _Hermione._ Every night when his dream reached this point he would wake up in a panic, unable to get back to sleep.

He climbed out of bed, deciding he'd had enough of his restless nights and dressed, preparing himself to seek out Madam Pomfrey for some Dreamless Sleeping potion. When he arrived at the hospital wing he noticed there was a bed that had its curtains drawn completely. He almost pulled them back to have a peek but before he could, Madam Pomfrey appeared from her office, startled by his appearance.

Storming towards him and keeping her voice low she whispered to Draco, "What're you doing here Mr. Malfoy?! It's past 2 in the morning!"

"I couldn't sleep, I'm still struggling with the dreams. Could I please have another Dreamless Sleep Potion?" He asked her.

She huffed but examined his dark circles under his eyes and struggled to say no, and so off she went to fetch him a vile. All he wanted was a decent night's sleep.

~X~

It'd taken Hermione a substantial amount of convincing from Ron and Harry for her to eventually make her way to the hospital wing after her Polyjuice potion had gone wrong. She knew the minute her tail bone had started to tingle after she drank it that something was off.

After mixing cat hair instead of human hair into her potion, Hermione had transformed into a mixture between a human and a cat. Which, Ron told her through fits of giggles, wouldn't go away on its own and he was right. As soon as Madame Pomfrey caught sight of Hermione she gasped and gave her a lengthy lecture on the severity of getting a Polyjuice potion wrong. After a few seconds into the lecture, Hermione stopped listening from embarrassment and bowed her head in shame.

It was her second night in hospital, Madame Pomfrey had wanted her to remain there until she had stopped coughing up hairballs and her ears and tail had disappeared completely. Hermione was beginning to grow tired of being restricted to the wing, it was after curfew for the students and Hermione wasn't even close to being tired. She knew she was in for a long night and so she had asked Ron and Harry to bring her books so she could go over research once more to make sure she didn't miss anything. She wanted to get this figured out before Christmas which was only a few days away and it was looking highly unlikely that she wasn't going to meet the deadline she had given herself.

"Back again?" Hermione heard Madame Pomfrey's voice and thought nothing of it

"Honestly Mr. Malfoy, this is your last one. You've had two already and if you won't tell me the reason as to why you need them so badly, I'm going to have to refuse you anymore without a letter from your parents. Dreamless Sleep potion is not to be taken lightly, one needs to dream," she finished as she walked off.

Hermione had stopped what she was doing completely upon hearing Draco's name. Despite being hidden behind the curtain, she felt completely exposed.

"_One needs to dream,_" Draco mimicked Pomfrey and a small giggle escaped from Hermione's mouth. She froze and stared at the curtain where she imagined Draco on the other side. Draco moved towards the curtain where he heard the giggling coming from and pulled it back in one quick swoop to discover Hermione sitting in the bed surrounded by books. However, it wasn't the Hermione he knew.

He stared at his former Gryffindor friend who had small cat ears poking out of her wild hair and the faintest sign of whiskers on her cheeks. But it was the tail moving behind her back that made him laugh hysterically at her, holding his stomach as it started to hurt from the laughter. Hermione scowled at him until eventually, she threw one of her books and he stopped.

"What on earth happened to you?" Draco said as he tried to come down from his fits of laughter.

"Never you mind!" Hermione snapped.

"It's a vast improvement if I do say so myself," Draco added. Hermione picked up another book and he held out his hands in surrender. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But seriously, what happened?"

"Why do you care?" She stared at him, pressing her lips together.

His smile disappeared at her words, "I don't," he lied, straightening himself as he picked up the book from the floor she had thrown at him from moments ago. "_Hogwarts: A History_? Aren't you bored of this by now?"

"Not like I've had anything new to read recently," Hermione said quietly as she looked down at the rest of her books that lay scattered over her bed. She had meant it more to herself regarding new research or lack thereof. However, she knew her words had a double meaning as she hadn't had a recommendation from Draco for a new book in over six months.

Draco paled slightly and looked back down at the book in his hands. "There are new notes..." he said after examining the book further, "On the Chamber of Secrets?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Why does it not surprise me that the Golden Trio are investigating these attacks?" He asked as he threw the book back onto her bed.

"Someone has to."

"But why you? You nearly died last time you meddled in the Dark Lords Business," Draco tried you keep the concern out of his voice, not realising what he had actually said.

"Voldemort has something to do with this?!" Hermione asked, sitting up further. Draco stared back at her wide-eyed at a loss with how to respond.

"Malfoy, if you know something you have to tell. Someone else could be attacked again soon or worse, someone could be killed," she said with desperation in her voice. Little did she know Draco already knew that was the plan, someone was supposed to get killed and his father was planning for it to be Harry Potter.

"I don't know what's going on Granger, I just assumed You-Know-Who had a part to play in this. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm bored of you now," he told her and watched as her face fell. His words clearly hurt her but he ignored the pang of guilt and left the hospital wing without his potion.

Hermione stared after him, she felt in her gut that he knew something, '_Maybe that's what he was trying to tell me at the start of the year'_ she thought to herself.

"Now Mr. Malfoy remember this is the last-" Madame Pomfrey started as she entered the room and stopped the moment she realised he had left. She glanced over at Hermione and shrugged as she placed the potion back in her apron.

"Miss Granger, you're supposed to be resting, not studying. Now go to sleep," she said as she started putting away Hermione's books, paying no attention to what they were.

Hermione helped clear her bed and lay down staring at the curtain that surrounded her bed once more. Draco knew something, she just had to figure out what.

~X~

Hermione woke the following morning to a pair of voices that brought a smile to her face, they hadn't noticed she was awake yet and she decided to listen to them a little more before she opened her eyes.

"I wouldn't have come to the hospital wing, I'd have wanted to keep my tail!"

"If you could pick an animal to morph with which would it be? Any animal or creature."

"That's a tricky one Fred. It would depend on what features you could take."

"Pot luck."

"A Hippogriff."

"And end up with the legs and face?"

"A wolf?"

"The body of, nothing else."

"A bear!"

"The tail and ears like 'Mione."

"You're making this too difficult."

"Wouldn't be fun if it was easy, George."

"You're taking the fun out of it, Fred," George said with a huff. The boys stayed silent for a moment whilst George pondered further on the animal he would choose before he finally decided.

"I've got it! A monkey, chimp to be specific!"

Fred quietly processed his brother's decision. He tried to find another flaw in this animal but the similarities they already had made it difficult to think of a bad scenario so he sighed with defeat.

"Well played, I'll give you that one."

"And what, my dear brother, would you choose?" George asked with a smug look on his face as he realised he'd chosen the winning animal, leaving his brother with only one option but to choose the same.

"I'd choose a house-elf," Fred said.

"What?! A house-elf! Why?!"

"Because, worst case scenario I end up with big ears on my regular body, best case I end up smaller... Either way, I'm going to have the powers of a house-elf," Fred told his brother as he stretched back in his seat, basking in the reaction he gained by his brilliance. Hermione couldn't help but giggle at the boys as she opened her eyes and watched them look towards her.

"Good Morning Purr-Mione," Fred said to her, earning another giggle in response, "How're you feeling?"

"Better, I don't feel like coughing up a hairball which is an improvement."

"Yeah, I grew out of that phase a few years back. Poor Fred still coughs up the odd few though," George said as his brother coughed for effect. Hermione shook her head at them and sat upright.

"Not that I'm not thankful for your visit, but why are you here?" Hermione asked the twins.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Fred asked with confusion.

"You're one of our little brothers' best friends, so you're our friend. We care." George told her, an offended look on his face. Hermione felt guilty for asking the question, of course they were friends, why wouldn't they check on her?

"Only joking, we just wanted to see if you really had a tail and you did! Could you move it? Did it wag? Do cats tails wag?" George began asking questions, however, by the end, it was clear to Hermione he was asking himself more than anyone.

"Hey Fred, we better get going anyway. We have Quidditch practice in 30 minutes," George stood up ready to leave the hospital wing, "Get better soon Hermione."

"Don't listen to him. We care, really, get well soon 'Mione," Fred told her before they left together.

Hermione shook her head, smiling to herself as she climbed out of bed to check over herself in the Mirror. It had appeared everything had vanished. No tail, no ears, no whiskers. Everything but slightly sharper teeth had disappeared and she no longer felt nauseous, which meant she would be able to leave.

Once she was given the go-ahead from Madame Pomfrey, Hermione gathered her belongings and put on her school robes. She made her way out of the hospital wing with a mission in her mind. That mission was to find out what Draco was hiding and what on earth was happening to the school.

~X~

New Year's Eve had come and gone, the celebrations had not been put off despite the attacks taking place in Hogwarts. Hermione had been forced to take at least one night off to enjoy herself with her friends. However, in the back of her mind all she could think about was the fact that she had put two and two together and realised that, given she was Muggleborn, she could be the next victim. She had no luck trying to figure out what Draco was hiding, in fact, she hadn't seen him since the incident in the hospital wing.

She watched as Ron sat by the fire eating a plate of mince pies that he subconsciously kept moving away from Seamus every time he reached for one.

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?" Ginny asked her. Hermione hadn't realised the youngest Weasley had approached her. She turned and smiled, gesturing for her to sit down but, before Ginny had the chance, Harry dived in the available spot making both girls jump.

"Oh, hi Ginny," he said to her as though he hadn't realised she was even there. Ginny stared at Harry before she left without saying another word. "Did I do something wrong?" Harry asked Hermione who shrugged in response.

"She wanted to speak to me about something, you obviously scared her away," Hermione told him and he frowned at her. "Maybe it was to tell me about the little crush she has on you."

"Shut up Hermione."

"Oh please, you can't deny it. Even Ron said she had been talking about you all summer!"

"Speaking of which, you spent a lot of time with Ron over the summer and I imagine you spent a lot of time talking about him too. Is there something _you_ would like to tell _me_?" He asked, making Hermione blush.

"Not at all, Harry."

"No? Nobody has a little crush then?" He didn't think Hermione's blush could get worse but she almost blended into the background of the Gryffindor common room.

"Who's crushing on who?" George said as he made his way over to sit opposite Hermione and Harry with his brother.

"Yeah tell us all of the gossip guys. Life's awfully boring now Harry has decided to take a break on attacking Muggleborns," Fred said.

Harry shook his head and ignored the comment Fred had made, turning back to a pink-faced Hermione, "Yeah Hermione, tell them the gossip."

She scowled in his direction before she looked over at the twins.

"Are _you_ crushing on someone Hermione?" George asked with surprise written across his face, "Now, this is interesting, pray tell, who is it?"

Hermione wanted to hit Harry for putting her in this situation but it would only make it more suspicious when she knew there was nothing to even gossip about.

"No one, I'm not crushing on anyone," she told them.

"Really?"

"Are you sure about that?"

"It's rude to lie, Hermione."

"Harry is just trying to wind me up, that's all," she said in a huff, wishing for the subject to be dropped.

"Look, Hermione, we get it, you're embarrassed but you don't have to be."

"Yeah it's natural, I mean honestly everyone feels the same way."

"Huh?" She asked.

"All we are saying is, you're not the only one."

"There are plenty of girls in the same situation as you."

"It can't be helped really, I mean, what girl _wouldn't_ feel this way."

"You're really going to have to explain this to me because you've lost me," she said as Harry sat beside her giggling, clearly understanding what they were getting at.

"It's us, who you're crushing on, isn't it."

"We understand."

"But Hermione you're like a little sister to us."

"We appreciate it none the less," Fred said as he winked at her. Her cheeks inflamed as they went on.

"It could never happen."

"Plus we would never want to make you choose, it'd be cruel to put you in that predicament."

"But we just wanted to let you know, it's ok."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed by," Fred finished as the twins got up and left. He smiled back at her once more before they moved across the common room to sit with their friends.

Hermione turned to Harry whose eyes were wide and a huge grin splashed across his face. As soon as he caught her eyes he immediately burst out laughing.

"That honestly couldn't have gone any better if it had been planned! That was brilliant," he said through gasps of air. Hermione hit him straight in the arm but he was laughing too much for it to stop him.

She huffed and stood, shaking her head at Harry as he continued to roll around. She headed towards her dorm room, ignoring Harry as he shouted after her because she could still hear the laughter in his throat and she was _much_ too embarrassed to be sitting in the common room.

Once she readied herself for bed she climbed in and reached for her book when she noticed something was different. There was a new book on her bedside table. It had been months since Draco had sent her a book and, since their friendship had ended once they returned back to school, there hadn't been much of anything - never mind a new recommendation. She reached over and grabbed the new book, pulling it back she glanced at the cover, '_Sherlock Holmes.'_

She knew these stories very well, her dad had read them to her when she was younger, the children's versions, of course. She hadn't seen a copy like this before, it was much bigger than the ones she knew. It was hardback with a black leather spine - it looked old. She wouldn't be surprised if it was a first edition.

Hermione opened the first page of the book to find that her suspicion was right, it was a first edition and it had a message written inside.

_'There is no one who knows the higher criminal world of London so well as I do. - SH'_

She froze as she read the message. _'SH, it couldn't be? Surely..' _she thought to herself. Hermione continued to flick through the book and grew disappointed when she found there was no note to follow. She knew it had to have come from Draco but there was nothing written anywhere.

For the first time she was experiencing mixed feelings, she wasn't sure what this meant. Was it a peace offering? Was it a dig about their earlier conversation on how she's always investigating things that she shouldn't? Hermione knew she could spend all night reading into the many reasons as to why Draco had sent her a book after so long of nothing but instead, she decided to start reading the actual book.

For the first time since Mrs. Norris was attacked, Hermione felt completely relaxed as she lost herself in a new world and found herself in 221B Baker Street.

**Author Note**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	15. Fifteen

_1993 - Second Year_

"Harry, slow down. Start from the beginning," Hermione told Harry as she sat beside him and Ron on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor common room. It was early in the morning and Hermione was still groggy from being abruptly woken due to Harry having some pressing news he had to share with them. She was struggling to understand why it couldn't wait until a more decent hour.

"I told you yesterday about the diary me and Ron found on the floor of the girl's toilets, the day after you were hospitalized," Harry started.

"Yes, that bit I'm caught up with. So this diary, that we still don't know who it belonged to or how it got there, you wrote in it and it wrote back?" Hermione asked, trying to keep up with his story.

"Sort of. The diary belonged to Tom Riddle. I wrote in it and _he_ wrote back," Harry continued, "I tried my luck and asked him if he knew anything about the Chamber of Secrets, he said he did but he couldn't tell me, he could only show me," he paused to take a breath.

"Okay, now this is where you lost me last time. I remember his name, we've discussed him before, but explain to me how he showed you," she asked.

"It's difficult to explain, all I know is one minute I was at that desk writing in the diary and the next I was out in the hall with Dumbledore and Tom. It felt real at first, but nobody could see me and people could walk through me, almost like I was a ghost. It must've been a memory or something," Harry explained. Finally, something clicked in Hermione's brain and she understood.

"Like a Pensieve? I've read about them before, it allows the owner to review memories and can store them away. Some witches and wizards believe that by storing them in the Pensieve, it makes room in the mind for more important things. Anyway, my point is, when you view a memory in the Pensive it's almost like you're there, reliving it, but you can't do anything other than observe," Hermione explained.

"Yes, exactly like that! So I watched as Tom questioned Dumbledore about the Chamber, more specifically, about the girl who died. Afterward, he went to find Hagrid who he accused of being the person responsible for everything. He claimed it was Hagrid's monster who killed the girl, he threatened to have him expelled."

"You don't actually believe Hagrid had anything to do with it though, do you?" Ron spoke for the first time since he was woken.

"I didn't, but then a comment that Tom made has been playing on my mind." Harry answered, scratching his face, "He said the Ministry would take away his wand for what he has done. We all know Hagrid doesn't have a wand anymore," Harry finished. Both of his friends stared at him as they tried to process everything he was saying to them.

"Before we go believing what Tom Riddle has shown you in this diary and lose faith in Hagrid, I think we ought to speak to him first. See what he knows." Hermione told her friends who were looking lost.

"Besides, just because he doesn't have a wand doesn't mean he did it. They could've taken away his wand as a precaution. If they genuinely believed he was the one responsible for the death of a student, they would've done more than take away his wand. I think we all need to go back to bed. You have Quidditch in the morning, Harry, you need some rest. I'll go to the library in the morning and see if I can find any books that were checked out by Tom Riddle around the time the Chamber was opened before. I should've done it sooner really but I didn't realize how significant he actually was."

"I agree with Hermione, we need more sleep. We'll go speak to Hagrid tomorrow after your Quidditch match," Ron said as he stood up and yawned. He headed up the stairs to the boy's dormitory without a second glance back at his friends.

Harry turned to Hermione with a concerned look on his face, "Hermione, what if Hagrid is responsible?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "Even if he was harboring the monster that was responsible for the last killing, that doesn't mean he is responsible. At worst he put his trust in a creature he wasn't aware or didn't want to believe was attacking muggleborns. We can hardly turn up at his hut, wands blazing accusing him when we don't have all the facts. Hagrid isn't a bad man, he's just too caring for his own good and sometimes that can get people hurt."

"We both remember Norbert," she told him, "Stop thinking about this for now. I know that's easier said than done but you need to be focused on tomorrow. Like Ron said, after your match, we'll go to see Hagrid and we can ask him all the questions we want. You know how he answers without even realizing, we _will _get to the bottom of this. Now go to bed," Hermione told him with a more stern voice.

Harry nodded at her and stood up to leave. "Goodnight, Hermione," he said and wandered through the archway towards the boy's dormitory.

Hermione sat there for a moment, mulling over everything that they had just discussed. Her mind was buzzing and even though she said she would wait until the morning, she knew there wasn't a chance she would be able to go back to sleep. She had to go to the library and find out some more information.

~X~

Hermione crept through the castle towards the library, slowly and with caution. It was well past three in the morning and who knew just how much trouble she would be in if she was caught. As she walked down the hall towards the stairs the air turned cold and she heard a whisper. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and her pace started to quicken.

It was only then that the situation dawned on Hermione and she remembered that there hadn't been an attack on a Muggleborn in a while. She climbed off the stairs and quickly walked towards the library.

_Its only down two more corridors and I'll be there._

Hermione was walking so fast now that it was almost a run as the whispers started to grow louder. Her eyes darted in all directions as she tried to figure out where they were coming from. Scared and frantic, she turned the corner without looking first and walked directly into someone, causing her to fall backward onto the floor.

"What the -" Spoke a voice she recognized all too well.

Hermione pushed herself forward and sat up for a better look at the boy she bumped into, she could see clearly now that it had been Draco.

"Granger?! What are you doing up?" he snapped at her as he stood, rubbing his backside from falling. He reached out his hand to help her up but she simply sat there, looking at it. It had felt so natural for him to offer to help her off the ground. He hadn't realized what he was doing until he noticed the look of confusion on Hermione's face as she ignored the hand and helped herself up off the ground.

"I could say the same to you," she snapped back at him.

"I couldn't sleep," he told her and she remembered the night in the hospital, the last time she saw him. He had been in there for some Dreamless Sleep Draught but had left before Madame Pomfrey had given it to him.

"Me neither," she said with a smirk on her lips.

He scowled at her, he knew she was hiding something, "Off to the library by any chance? To do some more research on the mysterious attacks I bet." Draco sniggered before he realized he had hit the nail on the head and his stomach turned. She was still investigating it, despite their previous conversation. He should've known better than to think the mention of Voldemort's name would've been enough to deter her. "You can't be serious!?"

"I said it last time and I'll say it again, _someone_ has to," she told him. Her patience was withering away as he stood before her, looking down at her with an annoyed expression.

"What part of 'it's too dangerous' do you not understand? Or did you take the book I sent you to seriously?"

"Why do you care!? Oh wait, you don't, because we aren't friends anymore!" she yelled at him, no longer caring for the time or that it was past curfew.

"Just because we aren't friends anymore doesn't mean I want to see you get hurt!"

"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure you said that you hoped the person this monster kills is me!" Hermione could feel the tears building in her eyes. She knew that she shouldn't have mentioned what he had said to Harry and Ron when they were under the influence of the Polyjuice potion but, from the moment Ron had told her, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

Draco froze at her words. His stomach dropped and he immediately felt sick, "How..?" he choked, struggling to get any other words to fall out of his mouth. He watched as Hermione blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek, he hated that he was doing this to her.

"It doesn't matter how I know, just that you said it. So don't stand there acting like you give a damn whether or not this is dangerous and I might get hurt because deep down, _you don't care_. I could be the next one to be petrified tonight. I could even be the one who gets killed and you would sit in your Slytherin common room with all of your friends, sniggering at the fact. Laughing at the pathetic Mudblood that wouldn't listen to your pitiful warnings," Hermione finished and started her journey back to the library without giving him a chance to retaliate.

Draco remained frozen, her familiar scent hit him like a ton of bricks as she walked past him and brought him out of his trance. He looked down and noticed she had left without her bag. Moving towards it, he picked it up of the ground and his legs wobbled in the process.

He was still horrified that she had found out what he said, even if he hadn't meant it. Draco reached inside his pocket and found the crumpled up piece of paper he had been holding onto for months. Pulling it out along with a small handheld mirror, he wrapped the paper around the handle of the mirror and shoved it into Hermione's bag.

"Granger!" he shouted as he turned around.

She had almost turned the corner at the bottom of the corridor when she looked back and saw him holding her back. Stomping back towards him she ripped the bag from his hands and walked off in a huff, not saying another word to him and he watched as she left.

He knew he was a coward for not saying anything, but he also knew Hermione well enough to know that she needed to calm down first before they had another conversation. So instead, he decided to wait until the morning, he would seek her out and they would talk. So, he headed back to his common room and mulled over what he was going to say to her the next day.

~X~

Once Hermione was in the library, she let out a sigh and let the tears roll down her face. The library was deadly silent, she was completely alone. After a brief moment, she snapped herself out of it and returned to the original task she had set out to complete. Heading toward Madam Pince's desk, she decided to start by looking for records that dated back to 1943.

After a few minutes of searching, Hermione heard the whispers that she had heard on her journey to the library. It still sounded far away, but it sent a shiver down her spine before it stopped again, she had to move quickly. She turned back to continue looking before she finally discovered what books Tom Riddle had checked out around the dates of the last attack. Hermione headed over to the restricted section and began searching for them.

She searched high and low but couldn't find a single book that he had checked out, it was almost like any book that he had looked into had been removed from the library. She huffed in defeat and threw her bag down on the table next to her, making herself jump at the bang it made upon contact with the table. She reached inside the bag to figure out what had been the cause when she heard another whisper, this time much closer. Hermione stood completely still as the whispers she heard filled her body with pure terror. She could feel herself shaking and the sound of her own heart thumping against her chest was loud enough that it nearly drowned out the whispers until she had realized they had stopped.

She let out the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding in, realizing now that she should head back to the common room before it was too late. Just as she was about to close her bag, a shimmer from inside caught her attention. She reached for it and pulled out the item, discovering that it was a mirror - one that she had never seen before. Her eyes wandered to the parchment that was wrapped around the handle. Removing it as she placed down the mirror in front of her, she unraveled the parchment.

The first thing she noticed was that it was no regular piece of parchment, it was a page that had been torn from a book, smooth sides around three of the edges but jagged along one. Turning her eyes to the writing on the page, she began to read,

'_Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents.'_

Hermione froze as she heard another whisper fill her ears. Her stomach flipped as she realized the page she held in her hand was about the creature she could hear, the one roaming the castle. It wasn't whispers she was hearing, it was hissing.

'_This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chickens egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eyes shall suffer instant death.'_

Hermione moved the page away once more and looked at the mirror, she could feel everything falling into place in her head. Mrs. Norris had seen the Basilisk through the water on the ground that day. Collin had seen it through the lens in his camera. Justin had seen the monster through Sir Nick and Penelope had seen it through the mirror. They had all only seen the monster through things, never having looked directly at it - only the reflection.

Her eyes focused again on the mirror in front of her as she picked it up in her other hand. Reaching out her shaking arm that held the mirror, she used it to glance around the corner, where she saw nothing but books and turned back to her page.

'_Spiders flee before the basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.'_

Hermione remembered the first attack, the spiders fleeing. The water of the floor must have reflected the image of the Basilisk to Mrs. Norris, the message on the wall to tell everyone that the Chamber has been opened.

_Hermione noticed Harry was staring out of a window that looked out onto the Forbidden Forest. Ron, however, noticed the spiders, hundreds of them crawled up the wall and out through the gap in the window. He shivered as he stepped back slightly, adding some space between himself and the spiders._

_"Strange, I've never seen spiders act like that," Harry said slowly, causing Hermione to finally notice the spiders that were all nearly through the window._

_"I don't like spiders," Ron said as the others turned to notice he had distanced himself. As Harry turned, his eyes were drawn to what looked like writing on the floor. He squinted his eyes to try to read it._

_"What's that?" Ron asked. He was the first to notice the writing wasn't actually on the floor, it was just a reflection of what had been painted on the wall._

_"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the Heir beware." Hermione read aloud, "It's written in blood," she whispered warily._

She even remembered Hagrid telling her about how the chickens on the school grounds were being attacked. It all made sense, after months of searching everywhere for more information, she finally had it. The only thing left unanswered was how the Basilisk had been moving around the school. Hermione quickly reached for her quill in her bag and wrote the word _pipes_ down on the torn-out page. It was the only plausible explanation for how a giant snake was managing to move around the school undetected.

She packed away her quill and folded the page back up, excited to race back to the common room to tell Harry and Ron about the news she had discovered, they finally had solid information to go off. Placing her bag back on her shoulder, she reached once more for the mirror. She froze as she realized the hissing was back, only this time it sounded as though it was coming from inside the library. Hermione remained frozen on the spot, her whole body quivering with fear as the hissing moved closer and closer.

She never considered herself as being very brave, however, she knew at this moment she had to be. After having read the information that page had just provided her with, she knew if she waited for the Basilisk to catch up with her it could kill her instantly. The only way she was coming out of this alive was by seeing it through the mirror. Hermione looked down at her hand that was shaking uncontrollably as she turned the mirror towards herself.

She inhaled deeply, scrunching her hand tightly that held the page. She knew deep down that when someone found her, that page needed to be inside her hand. Whoever found her needed that information, she could only hope it would reach Harry and Ron. Exhaling slowly, Hermione reached out her hand and turned the mirror facing outwards towards the library. Although the hissing had stopped, she knew the Basilisk was still somewhere in there with her. She stayed rooted to the spot as she moved the mirror around in different directions, trying to catch a glimpse of the monster.

For a moment, Hermione put down her hand and rested it. She considered making a run for it and escaping through the castle, even if it was just so that she could ensure someone got the information she needed to pass on. She inhaled deeply once more, mentally preparing herself for the sprint she was about to do. Her heart rate relaxed ever so slightly and her breathing had slowed considerably when she felt warm air blowing down on the back on her neck.

For the first time that evening, Hermione felt warm and it confused her, only then did she realize how cold she had been. Each time she heard the hissing, her body had turned colder to the point where her shaking was a mixture of her temperature and her fear. She focused on the warmth on the back of her neck, it felt rhythmic, it almost matched the pace of Hermione's breathing. Then it dawned on her, the warmth belonged to the monster, it had found her. With her back pressed against the bookshelves and warm air from the Basilisk getting closer, Hermione closed her eyes and lifted her hand that held the mirror.

She took one more deep breath before she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror. The words that she had read moments ago on the page she had found in her bag, had not done the horror that was the Basilisk justice. Unable to see the full length of the snake in her mirror, Hermione's eyes moved over what little she did of the long green body. Despite only seeing a small fraction of it, she could see enough to know that the serpent was enormous. She tried to steady her hand as she moved her mirror until she finally saw the face of the monster. Its mouth open as its tongue slithered in the air, grasping to her scent. She watched as the Basilisks tongue moved back into its mouth and over its teeth. Hermione noticed that the teeth were bigger than her own head and she swallowed before moving her eyes further up the monster.

She looked the Basilisk directly in its eyes before her body froze completely. She felt the ice moving from her feet, making her unable to move from her spot. The chilling sensation moved through her body, painless and yet terrifying until it finally reached her head. The last thing Hermione remembered before she fell to the ground was the piercing yellow eyes of the Basilisk.

~X~

"My money is on Hufflepuff, Gryfindor are going down this game," Blaise spoke.

"I hate to admit it, but I think Hufflepuff are going to lose. Potter is actually quite good," Theo responded, earning him scowls from his classmates.

The group of Slytherins sat on the stands waiting for the Quidditch match of Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff to start. Draco was growing impatient as he noticed it was already running late to start. He had decided after last night that he was going to seek out Hermione and explain everything to her. For the first time, he wasn't interested in watching the actual game of Quidditch. He only wanted the end to come quickly, something that wasn't looking likely.

Draco used the binoculars he had snatched from Goyle a few moments ago and searched to find Hermione in the sea of people. He stopped the moment he felt someone sit beside him, uncomfortably close. He sighed as he removed the binoculars away from his eyes, knowing exactly who would've sat themselves so unnecessarily close to him. He turned to his side and spotted Pansy, _'of course it is'_ he thought. She grinned at him as he forced a smile back at her.

"I have some news for you all!" Pansy spoke.

"You're moving schools?" Theo joked and Pansy scoffed and hit him on the shoulder.

"There's been another attack," she said through her grin. Draco felt uneasy as he realized she was far too happy with this news, which could only mean one thing.

"Who?" he asked her and she turned to answer him directly.

"Granger," she chimed. For a moment Draco thought he was going to faint as her name rang through his ears, his body went numb.

"Finally!" Blaise cheered," Its about time she got it, I've been waiting for this for ages."

"Serves the little know-it-all right, apparently they found her body in the library. She had sneaked out to do some late-night studying last night," Pansy said.

"How sad. Maybe if she had just taken a step back from being the ultimate swot it wouldn't have happened," Blaise laughed.

The only comfort Draco had taken from the conversation was that Hermione's body had been found, which could only mean she had been petrified and not killed. She must've found the mirror and the page he had torn out of the book in Flourish and Blotts. He was filled with regret that he hadn't given it to her sooner.

"How many is that now?" Theo asked,

"Including the Ghost and Filtch's cat, that makes six," Pansy said.

"Interesting," Blaise turned to Draco, "You're awfully quiet there, Malfoy."

"Draco?" Pansy's voice snapped him back to their conversation. He cleared his throat and looked at Blaise who was smirking up at him.

"I was just trying to calculate how close we are to some being killed." he quickly answered, "I'm assuming if the Gryffindor Princess has been petrified, Potter won't be playing and McGonagall will no doubt have canceled the match, so are we going to find something better to do?" he asked, trying not to sound to affected by the news.

"Shall we head to the court? If Granger's been petrified I can't imagine there's going to be a great deal of people there, it should be quiet," Theo suggested. The group of Slytherins all stood up in agreement and moved down the tower, Draco trailing at the back.

He struggled to move his feet forward as he thought about Hermione lying in the hospital, petrified. Thoughts of his conversation with her from the night before flashed through his head.

_"It doesn't matter how I know, just that you said it. So don't stand there acting like you give a damn whether or not this is dangerous and I might get hurt because deep down, you don't care. I could be the next one to be petrified tonight, hell, I could be the one who gets killed tonight and you would sit in your Slytherin common room with all of you friends, sniggering at the fact - laughing at the pathetic Mudblood that wouldn't listen to your warnings."_

His stomach was doing somersaults whilst his heart ached as the guilt of her words waved over him. _'I shouldn't have let her go, I should have told her everything there and then. I should've stopped her_' he thought to himself.

He followed his group of friends, hoping they could distract him long enough before he could visit Hermione without raising suspicion. As they all sat around a bench in the courtyard, he watched as they conversed. He would occasionally nod and force a laugh when necessary, but all he could focus on was the girl lying in the hospital wing, the former friend he hadn't realized he had missed so much.

**Author Note:**

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope everyone has had a wonderful time with their families and loved ones. Thanks again for reading and for all of your reviews!

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	16. Sixteen

_1993 - Second year_

Draco lay in his bed, waiting, counting down the minutes before he could leave the Slytherin common room without his absence being noticed.

All he had thought about since he heard the news mid-afternoon about the most recent attack, was going to see Hermione in the hospital. The one thing he couldn't do so easily.

He glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall and saw that the time read 11:53. He told himself that he wouldn't go to see Hermione until after midnight when he knew for sure the teachers, as well as the students, would all be in bed. However, the minutes on his clock were moving by painfully slowly and he seemed to be laying for eternity in bed.

He turned and glanced at the clock once more, 11:54. A minute had passed. Draco lay thinking about everything he had done wrong over the past few months, everything he wished now he could take back and do-over.

He turned again, 11:55. He thought back to his argument with Hermione that started the rift, to begin with, the argument that split and ended their friendship. He thought about how he should've handled the situation and how they should have had a more in-depth conversation about what had actually happened.

11:56, everything felt so trivial now, knowing Hermione was laying in a hospital bed after being petrified by a monster his father had helped into the school, a plan he knew all about and hadn't warned her. His argument with her felt so silly in comparison to the current situation.

11:57, all he wanted was to say sorry. To tell her he regretted everything and he wanted to take it all back, but he knew the damage had already been done. He knew she wouldn't be able to hear a single thing he said to her when he finally saw her, but he also knew he had to say it.

11:58, for a moment Draco allowed himself to imagine what would happen if she were awake. If he arrived at the hospital and she had been cured and she was conscious to hear him. He told himself he would tell her everything, he would grovel on his knees if he needed to just so he could have her forgiveness. The saddening truth cut through him as he told himself that she wasn't going to be awake when he got there. She would be lifeless, there in body but not in spirit, and he was the only one who could've prevented that.

Without realising, more time had passed and when Draco looked at the clock once more he noticed it was past 12. He jumped out of bed, as quietly as possible, put on his robes and left the dormitory. Without a second glance in the common room to see if anyone was still awake, he left through the portrait and headed towards the hospital wing.

He made his way through the corridors, his heart racing the closer he got to the hospital wing. Once he arrived he stood outside for a moment, staring at the doors. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to witness. He had seen Justin's petrified body after the first time he went to find Madame Pomfrey to request some Dreamless Sleep potion, the sight of him hadn't fazed him. However, he knew Hermione was going to be different.

He had a sense of déjà vu, this was the second time he found himself standing outside the hospital wing knowing Hermione was on the other side. Draco inhaled and pushed through the doors, slowly walking into the hospital. There were four beds with the curtains pulled around them. He recognized the first three as he walked past them and knew Hermione wasn't in any of those as he had seen them before. He stopped at the last bed, his heart beating fiercely against his chest. Reaching forward, he used his shaking hand to pull back the curtain to reveal Hermione.

"Hermione.."

Draco chocked, his entire body stiffened at the sight of her. Her body was rigid, frozen in the last position she had been in, her arm in the air and her fist clenched beside her. That wasn't what made Draco's stomach turn, it was the expression on her face.

He moved around the bed to stand beside her and looked into her once honey brown eyes that used to make him feel nothing but happiness. They were now black and vacant, a shadow of what they once were. For the first time in his life, Draco felt the start of tears begin to pool in his eyes. He could see the fear on Hermione's face, her eyes wide and her mouth on the verge of a scream.

He glanced towards her bedside table and noticed the mirror he had given her, minus the page he'd wrapped around it. He could only imagine how scared and alone she felt when she was attacked, what's worse, she knew it was coming.

Draco pulled up a chair and moved to sit beside her. Without thinking he put his hand in hers and tucked one of her curls behind her ear.

"Hermione, I am so sorry," he started, his voice breaking midway through his sentence. "I know you can't hear me, but I have so much to tell you..."

He sat upright and moved his chair closer to her bed, keeping their hands linked the entire time.

"Maybe if I say it all to you now, I'll have the courage to do it when you're awake because I'll feel like I've already told you... But then, that seems like the coward's thing to do," he said, more deflated this time.

"Hermione, I fucked up. I knew all of this was going to happen, one of the meetings I attended with my father over the summer, he told everyone about the diary. He said it was the key to opening the Chamber Of Secrets again. He told me what that would mean. When we started back up at school I wanted to tell you everything, I knew you would find a way to get yourself involved, so I wanted to tell you before... Well before something like this happened," he sighed and moved back on the chair, keeping his arm outstretched to hold her hand.

"Remember when I pulled you under the archway, the first day back? We arranged to meet up, I planned to tell you, Hermione, I promise I did. But, then things got so messy, I don't even know how they got the way they did! I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for all of the things I said and I did. I should never have listened to Pansy, you were right. She told me you and the twins were on the train, taking the piss out of me. Which, I could live with but that's not what bothered me. What hurt was she told me it was all for your entertainment, at your request. I understand that our friendship was a difficult one, that we have to put on an act around others but I hadn't expected that and I lashed out. I was wrong to, I should've asked you what happened. I was so scared we would come back after the summer break and things would be different, I questioned you and I didn't believe you. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, especially when I've said some hurtful things too, as you know," he shifted slightly so that he was crossed-legged on the chair and put both hands were on hers, desperately trying to keep the connection.

"I did say I hoped it would be you that was killed by the Basilisk. I have called you a Mudblood behind and to your face, but I swear to you, I did not mean any of those things. I said I hoped it would be you to deter Crabbe and Goyle away from thinking there was anything between us. I never for a second, thought anything would actually happen to you. I know I shouldn't have said any of those things but Blaise is always riding my arse about how we are friends. He's known me for the longest, he sees things, he reads my reactions to things. Like today, when Pansy told us that you had been attacked, I couldn't control my reaction. Where everyone else would've thought I was uninterested by the news, Blaise would've seen my face and knew I was affected by it. He would've known I was worried about you and that all I wanted to do was come to see you. My friends aren't like yours, Hermione. They're quick to stab each other in the back, they're not loyal to anyone other than themselves and if he found out... If Blaise knew for sure that we were friends, he would tell my father and after what I have witnessed this summer, I can't guarantee he'd take it out on solely me," he rolled his shoulders and yawned. He felt so light finally telling Hermione everything, even if she couldn't hear him.

"I need you to get better, Hermione. I need my best friend back. I might not be yours, I know you have Weasley and Potter, and I know I've said and done some unforgivable things but you're my best friend. You're the one person I know I could trust with anything. You're the only person who listens, truly listens to me. You see me for me, I can hear it now, the first thing you'll say to me 'You're a complete ass Draco Malfoy'," he mimicked her, chuckling to himself. His small smile soon fell from his face as he glanced back at her, "Just, wake up Hermione, if not for me, for those twits you call friends. They won't survive without you, you're too important for us to lose," he blinked and a single tear rolled down his face. He quickly wiped his eyes on his robes and rested his head on his arms, his hand still stuck to hers.

Before long, Draco felt his eyes becoming heavy and soon enough he drifted off. For the first time in weeks, despite his uncomfortable position, he slept without a single nightmare disturbing his dreams.

~X~

Draco woke to a sharp pain in his neck and his eyes shot open. He glanced towards the ground and spotted a sweet on the floor. He reached down to pick it up and glanced around the room to locate the culprit who threw it at him but there was only himself and Hermione.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched before looking up at the clock, 6:35. Breakfast would be starting in an hour, which meant visiting hours would start soon. Draco stood up immediately, moved his chair back and looked at Hermione once more.

"I'll come visit again tonight. You might not want me to, you might not even know I'm here but I'll come anyway," he said before he closed the curtains and hurried out of the hospital wing and headed towards the Slytherin common room. He hadn't noticed the figure standing outside the hospital, the person responsible for throwing the sweet and waking him up.

~X~

Ron sat beside Hermione, staring down at her frozen features. He couldn't bring himself to turn away from her face, the fear written across it and it tore him up inside as he stared into her eyes.

Harry moved to sit beside her, at a loss with what to do. He knew she was at risk for being attacked but he never imagined she would be one of the victims, he hadn't prepared himself for the possibility.

"I wish you were here Hermione. We need you," Harry said as he climbed on the bed to sit next to her, "Now more than ever."

Ron dropped his head, finally being able to tear his gaze from her. He placed his head in his hands and exhaling deeply. Harry placed his hand in Hermione's and he sighed at the coldness of it. When he looked at her he didn't see a friend lying in the hospital, he saw his family. A girl that was like his sister, who had been hurt when she was alone. He couldn't shake the guilt he felt for her being here, he felt as though he should've been with her, protecting her.

As he moved his thumb across her hand he felt something unusual in her palm, as though she was holding something. He pulled at the object to discover a piece of parchment scrunched up.

"What's that?" Ron asked as he lifted his head from his hands.

"I'm not sure..." Harry responded as he opened the parchment, "It looks like a page from a book."

"That's odd, I can't imagine Hermione tearing a page from a book," Ron said, he moved around the bed to stand next to Harry, looking over his shoulder as he read.

"Ron this page... I think it's about the monster that attacked Hermione," Harry said quickly as he continued to read.

"What?

She figured it out!?"

Harry stood up and moved quickly towards the lamp on the wall, "It's a snake, a giant snake. It's called a Basilisk," Harry told Ron. "It's stare is deadly, it says here that all who are fixed with the beam of its eyes shall suffer instant death,"

"But, nobody has died," Ron pointed out. Harry looked up and glanced over to Hermione, then to the curtains that were drawn around the other victims. He lowered his arm and started to walk out of the hospital wing, Ron following close behind. Once they passed through the doors Harry caught sight of himself in the window.

"Of course," he whispered, Ron remained confused beside him, "Nobody stared at it directly in the eyes.." Harry turned to Ron to explain further, "The night we found Mrs Norris, there was water on the ground, and Collin, he had his camera on him so he must've seen it through the camera."

"And Justin?" Ron asked, the pieces falling into place for him too, only slightly slower.

"He must've seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. Hermione and Penelope both saw it through the reflection of the mirror," he answered Ron. They both moved towards the lamp on the wall and Harry lifted the page up once more.

"Spiders flee before it," Harry said as Ron shivered. "It all makes sense Ron!"

"But how has a great big snake been making its way around the castle? Surely someone would've noticed it," Ron asked. Harry turned back to the page and saw nothing that would indicate how it would manoeuvre around the school unseen. Just as he was about to give up, he noticed a squiggle at the bottom of the page, 'pipes' it read and the boys both looked at each other in unison as they read the word.

"She really did think of everything, remind me to tell her how amazing she is when she wakes up," Ron said and Harry nodded, both running off to the Gryffindor common room to figure with their new information.

~X~

"I heard McGonagall talking to Professor Snape earlier, she said they might have to close the school with all of the attacks going on," Draco heard Pansy telling the group as he sat down and joined the Slytherin table for supper.

"Just when things were getting interesting," Blaise commented, noticing Draco's appearance, smirking at him. Draco nodded as he reached for some food, despite having no appetite, "after all, the Mudbloods don't stand a chance with Dumbledore gone," he added, the

Slytherin group nodding with him.

"Won't be long now before someone gets snatched and killed like last time," Blaise said, making Pansy jump as he pretended to launch for her. Her squeal sent shivers down Draco's spine, he looked up at Theo and noticed it had the same effect on him, rolling his eyes at Draco he looked back down at his food.

"How're you're advance potion lessons going?" Theo asked Draco without looking up from his plate.

Draco had continued to have his fake lessons with Professor Snape after summer, although the frequency of them and Snape's methods had changed. Snape decided when the lessons would take place and they would usually be spontaneous. He would start them by casting the spell when he would least expect it, ensuring Draco was caught off guard. After which, he would converse with Draco about the different methods he could keep his shield up without it taking too much of his energy and requiring more focus than necessary.

By Christmas, Professor Snape and Draco were fully confident that he would be able to keep his shield up should a reasonably talented Legilimens cast the spell on him. However, if someone as skilled in the art as his Aunt Bellatrix or Voldemort cast the spell on him, as it stood, he might not be strong enough to keep them out completely, as Snape constantly likes to remind him. Although Draco didn't consider this an issue seeing as his Aunt was locked up in Azkaban and Voldemort was dead.

"They're going well thank you, Theo, although they're becoming boring and unnecessary," Draco responded.

"Conside yourself a potions master already Draco?" Blaise sniggered.

"Not at all Blaise, but I haven't learnt anything new for a while, so I consider myself as only being better than you, but then that doesn't take much does it?" he smirked in response as the surrounding Slytherins chuckled as his comment.

Blaise changed the subject and the group started to talk amongst themselves as Draco started to move food around his plate, uninterested in eating anything. Theo watched as he did this and took it upon himself to pull him from whatever thoughts were floating around in his head.

"I hear Hagrid's being blamed for these attacks," he said quietly so that only Draco could here. He looked up at Theo with a raised eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

"Apparently, and I don't know how much of this is true, but I heard whispers that he was blamed for the last attack, 50 years ago," Theo went on.

"How could that great oaf have anything to do with this?" Draco questioned.

"I'm not sure, perhaps his love for weird beasties has something to do with it? I don't know whether it is true, I've just heard rumours that he is the main suspect and they took him away, around about the same time they took Dumbledore."

"Well, that explains why we haven't seen him," Draco said, playing along with Theo's conversation, despite knowing full well what had really happened.

He pushed his food around for a moment longer before he finally excused himself from the table, having endured enough. He headed out of the great hall, not knowing fully where he was going. Although it was too soon, he wanted to see Hermione.

As he wandered around the castle he remembered back to the day Dumbledore had been suspended and removed from the premises alongside Hagrid. He thought about how his father had felt with the situation.

_Draco stood outside the hospital wing, peering in through the open doors and glancing around to see if there were any visitors. When he realised the coast was clear, he walked forward before a hand gripped his shoulder firmly. He turned to his side to confirm who the hand belonged to and looked up at the tall figure standing next to him._

_"Father," he stuttered, not expecting him to be there so soon._

_"Draco," his father said slowly, "What are you doing here?" He turned and looked towards the victims of the Basilisk attacks, lying in their beds. Draco glanced towards the wing and back at his father before speaking once more._

_"I like to come here to make sure they're all still petrified, I wouldn't want any of them waking up too soon and spoiling everything," he told his father, a lie he seemed to believe as he smirked and let go of his son's shoulder. "Why're you here?"_

_"It appears the ministry believes the Groundskeeper has something to do with these attacks," Lucius told his son before turning slightly and walking at a slow pace up the corridor, gesturing for Draco to follow._

_"How?" Draco asked,_

_"Because he has a history of housing dangerous creatures. That, and the last time the chamber was opened, he was their first suspect," Lucius explained._

_"I understand that but, well, look at him. How could he be the one who is controlling the Basilisk?" Draco asked, still confused._

_"Hush now Draco, people might hear your ramblings," he said sternly, "I never said he is responsible, I simply said the Ministry think he is. So I'm here to ensure that he is dealt with," He said more quietly this time._

_"Dealt with?" He asked his father, knowing he was pushing his limits when Lucius clenched his jaw in annoyance._

_"Yes. Now follow me, you can watch if you like. There's more fun happening tonight than just the removal of that disgusting halfbreed," Lucius said as they walked through the doors leading out into the courtyard. _

_It was dark outside, difficult to see the other, but Draco knew they were heading to Hagrid's hut. He followed quietly as he tried to think what his father's words could mean. What else was going to happen?_

_Once they arrived at the small hut his father turned to him once more. "Stay here and keep quiet," he told him before shoving him slightly round the corner. Draco could hear voices inside, he recognised Dumbledore and Hagrids but the third he wasn't familiar with. _

_With two knocks from his father, Hagrids door swung open. "Ah, Cornelius, you're already here," Lucius said as he stepped through the doorway._

_"What're you doing here?" Hagrid asked, "Get out of my house!" His voice boomed._

_"Believe me, I take absolutely no pleasure in being inside your - you call this a house?" He scrunched his nose as he finished speaking and inspecting Hagrids home, before turning back to the group in the room._

_"No, I simply called at the school and was told the headmaster was here," he said, eyes fixed on Dumbledore._

_"And what, exactly, do you want with me?" Dumbledore asked calmly._

_"The governors and I have decided it is time that you step aside," Lucius told him, "this is an order of suspension," he said as he held out the piece of parchment towards Dumbledore. "You'll find all 12 signatures on it, I'm afraid we feel you've rather... Lost your touch. What with all the attacks, there will soon be no Muggleborns left. I can only imagine what a great loss that would be to the school," he finished._

_"Ye' can't take Professor Dumbledore away, take 'im away and the Muggleborns won't stand a chance!" Hagrid protested, "You mark my words, there'll be killings next!"_

_"You think so?" Lucius said curiously as he looked towards Hagrid for the first time since he stepped into his home._

_"Calm yourself Hagrid," Dumbledore spoke softly to his friend, "If the governors require my removal than I shall step aside. However," he said as he stepped towards Lucius, "You'll find that help will be given to anyone at Hogwarts, should they ask for it," he looked down his half mooned glasses as Lucius screwed up his face in disgust._

_"Shall we?" He said to the room before he opened the door to Hagrids hut._

_Draco watched as his father led the way back up to the castle with Dumbledore, Hagrid and the Minister of Magic following close behind. He stood still for a moment, choosing to linger behind momentarily so as not get caught._

_He thought over the conversation that just transpired in Hagrid's hut, amazed at his father's powers of manipulation. He knew there was no way those governors had willingly agreed to sign the petition to get Dumbledore to step down, this was all a part of his plan._

_Just as Draco turned to head back to the castle, Hagrids door opened once more. He quickly crouched down behind the piles of logs once more and peered over to find Harry and Ron emerging from thin air. _

_'Had they been in there the whole time?' He thought. _

_Draco watched as Harry pointed towards the Forbidden Forest and began heading in the same direction. Ron lingered behind, clearly not wanting to follow his friend but before long he picked up his pace and caught up with Harry. He wondered for what reason would they want to go trudging into the Forest so late in the evening. Torn between wanting to speak to his father again before he left and wanting to know what Harry and Ron were up to, he turned and headed towards the thick woodlands, his curiosity getting the better of him._

_Draco made his way through the uneven grounds of the forest, keeping Harry and Ron in his line of sight whilst maintain a distance. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying or fully see where they were heading, but he had come this far and he wasn't turning back now._

_"Harry, I don't like this," Draco heard Ron, realising he was gaining on them, "Harry, I don't like this at all," Ron said, his voice increasing in pitch._

_'He's always complaining about something' Draco thought. _

_He climbed over the branch in front of him and felt something run across his had. He stood still for a moment and focused on the ground, he had no source of light so it was difficult to make out what he could see moving across the ground. However, after a few moments of staring down, his eyes adjusted and he could make out the eight-legged creatures that were heading in the same direction as him, the same direction as Harry and Ron._

_Thankfully, spiders weren't on his list of things he feared and he managed to shake one off without it bothering him too much before he carried on following Harry and Ron._

_Pausing slightly as he realised they had disappeared from his view, he squinted towards the distance and noticed an opening in a large tree that clearly lead underground, there was a faint glow coming from inside that he could only imagine was the from the lamp Harry had been carrying with him._

_Once he reached the entrance to the tree he lingered outside, crouching slightly to get a better view of the two Gryffindor's. From what his eyes could make out, they were speaking to the largest spider he had only ever read about in books._

_"That's a lie!" Draco heard a deep voice echo through the trees, "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets."_

_"Then you're not the monster?" he heard Harry's faint voice ask the spider._

_"No, the monster was born inside the castle. I came to Hagrid from a distant land, in the pocket of a traveller." The voice echoed once more. _

_Draco took the opportunity at the pause in conversation to examine his surroundings and, for the first time, he noticed just how many spiders were gathering, making their way into the burrow. Although he wasn't scared of spiders, he could sense something was off with the amount there were around. Sensing the ever-growing impatience of the Giant spider that Harry and Ron were talking to, along with the number of creatures building outside, Draco thought it best to leave and so he began his descent back to the castle, thankful the spiders were more interested in whatever was going on down below. _

Draco shook his head as he broke out of his train of thought, the reminder of all those spiders caused him to shiver. Although he didn't fear spiders, he still felt uncomfortable by the memory of the hundreds he came across that night. He soon realized his feet had subconsciously taken him to the hospital wing. It was still too early for him to visit Hermione, however, it was past visiting hours. Deciding to peep in and simply check on her, he walked through the doors to be greeted by Professor Snape who was standing at Hermione's bedside.

"Mr Malfoy," He said without looking up at him, Draco moved forward to join him at her bed. He didn't look down at her straight away, although the image of her frozen, terrified face will be embedded into his mind for the foreseeable future.

"Isn't it a little risky to be checking in on Miss Granger so early on in the evening?" he asked and turned to face Draco.

"I didn't realise I was wandering here until I was already outside the doors," Draco responded honestly. "I was thinking about the last time I saw my father, and I ended up here."

"Hmm, interesting," Snape said. "You know, Draco, I understand the predicament you're in. More so than anyone, but you might want to consider what kind of person you want to be."

"Excuse me, professor, I'm not sure what you mean?" Draco said defensively.

" I understand you have to do as your father asks of you, but just remember, you're your own person. One day, you'll have to make a decision for yourself, especially if the wrong one is going to affect someone you care about," he said before he turned back to Hermione. "Next time, she might not be lying in this bed injured. Next time she could be dead because you couldn't grow a backbone and warn her of your father's plan," He snapped.

"How-how did you know I knew?" Draco asked.

"I know a lot more than you realise. Think about what I've said," Snape finished before he left the hospital wing.

Draco stared down at Hermione, his eyes lingered on hers for a few moments as he went over Snape's words. The sounds of students running frantically through the corridor brought his attention away from Hermione and he headed to investigate what was going on outside the Hospital Wing.

Author Notes:

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	17. Seventeen

_1993 - Second Year_

Draco wandered out of the hospital wing, his mind still mulling over what Professor Snape had said to him moments ago. He knew his decisions or, lack thereof, had led her to this moment. They had been part of the reason she was lying in a hospital bed, having been petrified. Draco also knew this wouldn't be the last time his father would put him in a situation where her life would no doubt be at risk. Snape was right, one day he was going to have to decide for himself.

Over the summer he had learnt a lot about the former Death Eaters. How they have the same belief system as Voldemort, how they plan to carry on his work despite his downfall. His father had made a point in involving him so soon on in their meetings. Draco was starting to become concerned that he was going to have a bigger part to play, that one day he was going to be asked to do something that would break him in more ways than one.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once! All teachers to the second-floor corridor immediately." he heard Professor McGonagall's voice echo through the corridors.

As she finished speaking he noticed the familiar sight of black accompanied by red move past the corridor ahead. Moving quickly and quietly, he turned the corner leading to the corridor he had just witnessed Harry and Ron sprinting down, following them close behind. He watched as they stopped and hid behind a pillar, staring at the wall that showed a new message left by the Heir of Slytherin.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worst fear has been realized, a student has been taken by the monster, into the chamber itself. The students must be sent home," Draco heard McGonagall say frantically to the other teachers who were surrounding her. "I'm afraid this is going to be the end of Hogwarts."

"So sorry, I dozed off. What did I miss?" Professor Lockhart spoke as he joined the rest of his colleagues. Draco rolled his eyes at the sound of his voice and shook his head before he moved forward slightly to get a better look at the message that had been left on the wall.

"A girl has been snatched by the monster Lockhart, your moment has come at last," Snape said calmly.

"M-my m-moment?" Lockhart stuttered as he paled slightly.

"Weren't you saying, just last night, that you've known all along where the entrance is to the Chamber of Secrets?" Draco sniggered to himself quietly as he listened to Snape go on.

"That's settled then," McGonagall spoke, "We will leave you to deal with the monster. Your skills, after all, are legend," Although he couldn't see her face, Draco knew by the tone in her voice that McGonagall would be wearing a small smirk on her lips as she spoke to Lockhart.

How he was ever appointed teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, when even the teachers struggled to believe what was written about him in his stories, was beyond Draco,

'_Dumbledore has a weird sense of humour,'_ he thought, as he looked back towards the teachers.

"Very well, I'll just be in my office... Getting ready," Professor Lockhart said before he moved quickly back in the direction of his office.

"Who is it that the monster has taken, Minerva?" Madame Pomfrey asked once Lockhart had left. Draco leaned even closer as his curiosity peaked.

"Ginny Weasley," She answered before she left the corridor, the remaining teachers following behind. Draco watched as Ron dropped to his knees at the mention of his sister's name, the whole message on the wall became clear to him then.

_Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._

"Ron, come on get up," Harry told his friend who knelt, staring at the writing on the wall intently. "Come on, Ron. We have to go speak to Lockhart before its too late. We have to tell him what we know, it could help save her." His words motivated Ron as he stood up and both boys ran in the direction of the DADA classroom.

Draco leant against the wall, starting up at the message that was written in blood. He knew this was the final result his father had been planning for, the outcome they had expected. Someone had been taken and potentially killed by the heir of Slytherin. It hadn't been Harry but the result would still be devastating given his relationship with the Weasleys. The plan had worked, it had been successful and yet he couldn't help but feel disappointed and he couldn't fathom why.

Draco turned away from the wall and continued his journey back to the Slytherin Common room, where the news of Ginny Weasley being taken into the chamber had no doubt already reached his Slytherin friends via Pansy Parkinson.

~X~

"Draco! You're back, did you hear the news?" Blaise asked him as he walked through the portrait leading into the Slytherin common room.

"About the latest attack by any chance?" he asked as he sat down next to his friends. Thankfully the single-seat armchair was available so that he didn't have to sit next to Pansy.

"Pansy was just telling us about the message on the wall and how it said nobody had listened to the Heirs warnings about getting rid of the Mudbloods. Now they've taken Weaslette because of it," Blaise told him as he looked admiringly at Pansy.

"Did it really?" Draco asked, he too looked towards Pansy who blushed as she nodded.

"Don't you believe her?" Blaise asked with a defensive tone.

"Tell me, Pans, did you happen to see this message?" Draco asked, ignoring Blaise.

"Yes she did, she saw it in person," Blaise answered for her. Pansy looked between Blaise and Draco before she shook her head.

"No... I didn't actually see it, I just heard about it," Pansy said, making Draco smirk as he finally acknowledged Blaise.

"I can confirm that I saw it on my way back to the common room. The message simply said, '_Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'_ and if it hadn't been for the fact that McGonagall had told people, nobody would know it was Weaslette. McGonagall has sent the wondrous Lockhart to go and save her, apparently, he knows where the entrance to the chamber is, " Draco told the group.

"What a great deal he's going to be able to do," Theo commented, laughing at the idea of Lockhart saving the day.

"Judging from the looks on all of their faces, I don't think there's a single teacher that believes that for a second, so the chances are, Weaslette is going to die," Draco added. He watched as Blaise scowled, moving further back into his seat beside Pansy, who was still blushing having been caught out on exaggerating her gossip.

"McGonagall also said that this attack will be the end of Hogwarts, the school will shut down for good after tomorrow," he finished.

"Surely not, they cant close Hogwarts," Blaise said, avoiding Draco's eyes.

"With all of these attacks and now someone's been killed? I'm surprised it hasn't closed sooner," Theo responded.

"All the heir ever wanted was to rid the school of Mudbloods, that's not so bad. Why should the rest of us have to leave? They should just make them leave and let the rest of us continue our education," Blaise said in a huff.

Draco chuckled to himself as he listened to his friend stress over having to leave Hogwarts, "Something tells me it's not your education your concerned about being affected." He glanced between Blaise and Pansy.

Theo sniggered to the left of him, making mock kissing noises. Blaise blushed furiously and looked at Pansy who was oblivious to the joke that was going on between the rest of the group of Slytherins.

~X~

Draco sat in the Slytherin common room, clock-watching once more. He sat beside the fire and watched the flames dance around the pieces of fresh wood. He found a resemblance of the flames to Hermione's eyes when she was passionate or furious about something, sometimes both.

"What're you doing up so late?" Draco turned to find Pansy walking over to him before she took a seat opposite him and surprisingly not next to him for once.

"Couldn't sleep, my head hurts," He lied, hoping she would take the hint none the less and leave him alone.

"Me too," She said and looked into the flames. Draco examined her unusual behaviour, never had he been around Pansy and she wasn't insistent on sitting near enough on top of him and smothering him with affection and compliments.

"Are you ok, Pansy?" Draco asked, unsure as to whether or not he wanted to know the answer.

"Don't pretend like you care, Draco. I see your eye rolls every time I open my mouth," She said without turning her gaze away from the fire.

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, he hadn't realised she was aware, "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't care. So tell me, what's bothering you?"

She may get under his skin and be a tad touchy at times, but he had been raised to treat people better than that. Despite being from a prejudiced family, he had been raised to be gentlemen, at least to those that were worthy. He was a pureblood from a family that highly respected hers and he knew he would receive a scolding from his father if she mentioned how he had been rude to her.

"I just don't want Hogwarts to close tomorrow. I know I complain about it, but I like it here," she told him before turning to look at him. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, what to say that would make her feel better. He sighed before answering and turned back to the fire.

"It'll be fine, Lockhart will save the day," he joked, causing her to chuckle.

Before he could stop it from happening, Pansy moved from her seat to sit beside him and snuggled up to him. He sat with his arms in the air, frozen by her sudden movement.

"You always know how to make me feel better, Drakey," she said.

Just as she leant her head against him, snuggling further, Theo wandered into the common room. Draco stared at him wide-eyed and glanced towards Pansy, hoping his friend would rescue him from the uncomfortable situation he found himself in.

Theo broke the silence with the clearing of his throat before he spoke, "Pansy, could I have a moment with Draco, please? I have something important I need to speak to him about." He told her, Pansy moved her head to look at Draco before she pushed herself away from him.

"Night, Drakey," she whispered to him before she left the common room, nodding at Theo on her way. Theo rolled his eyes and moved towards Draco at the sofas, falling into a seat opposite him.

"Thanks, what did you want to speak to me about?" Draco asked as he straightened out the robes Pansy had creased.

"Nothing, you just looked like you needed saving," Theo answered. "What's with that anyway?" he moved his head towards the dorms that Pansy had just entered whilst picking up the bowl of sweets in front of him.

"Y'know, I never noticed this before, but you probably eat as much as Crabbe and Goyle," Draco commented, making Theo laugh.

"Except I know how to eat without looking like an ape, not to mention I don't put on any weight," He grinned and pointed at his slim body. "Nice try anyway, answer the question."

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Draco played stupid as he pulled his feet up across the sofa, lying comfortably along all three seats.

"Whenever it's just you and Pansy in a room together, I always find her snuggled up to you and you always look deeply disturbed," Theo chuckled as he finally put the bowl of sweets down. "Me and Blaise were trying to figure this out last year, we decided that you were just a mystery."

"Nice to know you've been discussing me, Theo," Draco said with a tone of annoyance.

"Don't pretend like you haven't spoken about me before," Theo responded calmly.

"I don't need to, because I haven't. Not everyone lives to bitch."

"I'd hardly call a conversation about whether you dislike Pansy or you're just playing hard to get, bitching," Theo said defensively, running his hand through his long brown hair that fell over his face.

"Even so," Draco huffed and turned back to the fire.

"So, do tell, playing hard to get or...?" Theo asked once more.

"I think she has a thing for me," Draco started.

"No shit, mate," Theo interrupted, earning a scowl from Draco. He waved his hand for his friend to continue.

"Anyway... Her father told her one day, in the very _very_ distant future, we would be married. So naturally, she makes such a point of being all over me at any given opportunity," he finished, looking over at Theo.

"Do you like her, in that way I mean?" Theo asked.

"Not particularly, I mean, she's not ugly, but there's not much going on up there is there? What would we even talk about?"

"Oh I don't know, Drakey, you could gossip together over tea about who's on the cover of Witch Weakly," Theo joked.

Draco launched a cushion from the sofa at him as they laughed together.

"Well, as thrilling as this is, I'm tired. I only came out for some sweets, so I'm going to go to bed. I'm afraid I won't be curling up next to you on the sofa and snuggling you to sleep," Theo laughed and dodged another pillow. Draco shook his head at his friend's comment, smiling to himself as he sat up.

"Oh, and Draco, go easy on Blaise, will you? He clearly has a thing for Pansy and she's too dim-witted to see, so he's bitter and takes it out on you."

"I won't make any promises. We've been friends for a very long time, I'm not about to start pussyfooting around him just because he has poor taste in women," Draco huffed.

"Well, if what he says is true, he's not the only one with poor taste in women," Theo added with a smirk. Draco's eyes shot to his, annoyance written across his face. Theo nodded once more at him before he left the common room.

Draco glanced over at the clock and noticed it was past midnight. He had gotten distracted with Theo and had forgotten about clock watching, he could finally go to see Hermione.

~X~

"Ron, I'm so sorry for everything," Ginny sat on the hospital bed whilst Madame Pomfrey tended to her wounds.

"Don't be silly Gin, you don't have to apologise for anything," Ron responded as he laid in his own hospital bed next to his sister.

"If I had spoken to you sooner about it... At least told you that I had found a diary that was replying to me, you guys might've been able to help and all of these people might not have been hurt," Ginny continued as she bowed her head in shame.

"Miss Weasley, do no fret," Professor McGonagall's voice made everybody jump. She was accompanied by Professor Sprout as they both walked further into the hospital wing.

"You are not to blame for what has happened here. As I believe it, the diary that you speak of had a great deal of Dark Magic inside of it, something that you couldn't have fought against no matter how hard you tried," McGonagall said to Ginny, her words comforting her slightly.

"Besides, I have the remedy for all of these petrified patients and they should be up and running again in no time. So don't you worry darling, everything will be back to normal soon," Professor Sprout told her as she carried the vials potions across to Madam Pomfrey.

"So, this means Hermione should be awake soon!?" Ron asked quickly, his cheeks blushing as everybody in the room turned to him.

Draco's body froze outside the hospital wing as he heard Ron's question. He had arrived just after McGonagall and Sprout, noticing two teachers turn up at once, he knew something big must've happened and he moved closer to the entrance to listen in. He discovered that Ginny had been saved and Ron was beside her. He had hoped to spend another night talking to Hermione, despite the fact that she couldn't hear a word he said. However, news that she could be awake soon made up for the intrusion of people in the wing that made it impossible for him to see her.

"Yes, Mr Weasley, sometime in the next 48 hours. Given that Miss Granger was one of the last to be petrified and has, therefore, spent the least amount of time in this state, I'd say she will wake sooner rather than later." Professor sprout told him. Ron nodded, still pink with embarrassment.

On the other side of the wall, Draco smiled to himself, a welcoming wave of relief filled through his body. He pushed off the wall and made his way back to the Slytherin common room, thrilled by the news that Hermione would be awake soon. However, it wasn't long before the nerves hit him as he realised that, although he felt better after his confession to her, she wasn't actually aware of it and would wake up still hating him.

"This is all very interesting, but can someone tell me why I'm here?" Professor Lockhart's voice startled everyone.

"Professor Lockhart, I completely forgot about you," Madame Pomfrey mumbled. She glanced towards McGonagall who rolled her eyes and turned back to Ginny, after waving her wand and sending Lockhart back to sleep.

"Ginny!" Georges voice made her head snap towards the entrance where she could see her older twin brothers making their way into the hospital wing with matching concerned expressions on their faces.

"Fred, George, what're you doing here?" Ginny asked.

"We heard the news," Fred told his younger sister.

"Mum and dad should be here shortly," George added.

"Are you ok?"

Ginny nodded at them both whilst Madam Pomfrey finished making a fuss over her and moved to examine Ron.

"I'm fine guys, honestly. If it wasn't for Harry and Ron... Well - I wouldn't be," Ginny told them and both boys moved to sit on her bed.

"Don't ever scare us like that again!" George scolded her.

"If you ever find anything half as interesting as that diary-" Fred spoke.

"-you tell us about it immediately-"

"-so that we can have all the fun." Fred joked.

"Helloo, you do have another sibling over here who is also in the hospital," Ron waved towards his brothers.

"Did you get taken over by a magical diary?" George asked, turning to face Ron.

"Did you get manipulated into helping a monster lose into the castle?" Fred asked next.

"Well, no but-"

"Did you get lured to the bottom of the Chamber of Secrets?" George interrupted him.

"Where the memory of You-know-who nearly drained the life out of you?"

Ron stared at his brothers wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Ronny we are kidding," Fred said as he jumped off the bed.

"You did an amazing job helping Harry to save our baby sister," George teased further, ruffling Ron's hair.

"There's no being serious with you guys is there?" Ron commented, huffing at the constant jokes that came out of his brother's mouths.

"Serious?" George said looking over at Fred.

"Do you know what this word means?" Fred asked his brother who shook is head. They both turned back to Ron and grinned.

"How is it you know so much? I haven't had a chance to tell people what happened yet." Ginny asked her brothers.

"We left Dumbledore's office once mum and dad arrived," Fred started.

"Harry turned up and was filling him in on everything that happened in the chamber."

"We heard most of it but thought we would come here to check on you," Fred told them.

"Dumbledore's back?" Ron asked.

"No Ron, this is a different Dumbledore," George said sarcastically.

"If you're going to stay in here, I will need you to be quiet. I have to concentrate on healing the petrified students." Madame Pomfrey told Fred and George, who mimed a zipping motion of their mouths shut as they sat on the bed next to Ron.

~X~

The following morning, the group of Slytherin second years made their way through the castle to the courtyard where they perched for the remainder of the morning. It only took a few short hours for the whole school to hear the news of Ginny's rescue and all classes had been cancelled because of it.

Draco sat on the bench beside Blaise, watching and listening to all of the other students discuss the efforts Harry and Ron went through to save Ron's sister. Blaise shook his head every time he heard a nice word said about them.

"I know they saved the dying Weasley girl, but is nobody ever going to address the fact that they're constantly breaking rules! It's not the first time and I'd bet 10 Galleons that it won't be the last," Blaise complained.

"If it were anyone else other than Saint Potter, they might not get away with it so easy," Pansy added.

"Yes Blaise, but who's going to save the day without Potty around?" Theo joked as he sat on the floor opposite him, causing Blaise to roll his eyes and scoff at him.

"Hey Draco, isn't that your father?" Pansy asked as she moved her head in the direction to the corridor opposite.

Draco looked over, squinting his eyes slightly as the sun distorted his view. He rose from his seat the second he realised Pansy was right, it was his father.

"I'll be right back," Draco told the group as he headed to the corridor, hoping to catch up with him so he could find out why he was visiting the school again. He felt uneasy as he reached the entrance, knowing his father would be furious that his plan had failed.

"I have something of yours," Draco heard the familiar voice that belonged to Harry and he froze behind the pillar, listening to the conversation.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucius responded calmly.

"I think you do, sir. I think you slipped this diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron, that day at Diagon Alley," Harry said.

"You do, do you?" Lucius's voice was becoming more hostile and Draco's breathing stopped. Although it wasn't aimed towards him, it still made him feel uncomfortable whenever he heard that tone in his father's voice.

"Dobby," Lucius spoke this time the house-elf beside him. Draco smiled to himself as he realised his favourite house-elf had accompanied his father to the school. Although, the joy didn't last long when he realised there must've been a reason and it can't have been good.

"Why don't you prove it," Lucius spat and shoved the book into the house-elves hands, "Come, Dobby." He turned and continued on his journey out of the castle.

"Dobby!?" He shouted. Draco realised now his father was close to where he was and he moved further around the pillar. He no longer wanted to cross paths with him as he knew he would take the brunt of this situation.

"Master has given Dobby a sock," Dobby spoke softly.

"What!? I didn't give-" Lucius's face froze as he turned and saw what was happening, Draco peered between the gap in the pillars. His house-elf, he supposed now former, was holding up a sock he had pulled from the book.

"Master has given Dobby clothes. Dobby is free!"

"You lost me my SERVANT!" Lucius snapped. Draco could feel the anger dripping from his father, he flinched as he heard the familiar snap of his cane as he slid his wand free.

"You shall not harm Harry Potter!" Dobby yelled. Draco heard his father begin the incantation for the killing curse before a loud snap erupted through the corridor and he saw his father fly past him, landing on his back with a thud.

"Your parents were meddlesome fools too. Mark my words Potter, one day soon you're going to meet the same sticky end," Lucius snarled at him as he stood before he turned and left.

Draco slid around the pillar and down the wall opposite him as he realised what had just happened. Harry just freed his favourite house-elf, the one person that kept him company whenever his father had punished him and his mother was too afraid to try to help. He was the one who looked after him when he was sick, who played with him when he had no one and now he had been taken away from him.

Draco could feel the fire and hatred building up inside of him as he caught sight of Harry making his way back up to Dumbledores office. There was nothing he could do now but he knew he would find a way to make Harry pay.

~X~

The great hall was buzzing during the evening feast. The once petrified students were being discharged from the hospital wing and students throughout all of the houses were talking about the events that's took place in the Chamber of Secrets.

"I'm just happy the school isn't closed, even if the Golden Trio has gotten away with breaking the rules again," Pansy smiled as she spoke, reaching over to pile more food on her plate.

"Unfortunately, the Mudbloods are being cured as we speak. In fact, I think most will already be out of the hospital," Blaise commented, scowling over at the Gryffindor table towards Harry and Ron who were deep in conversation, laughing with all of their friends.

Blaise watched as Neville pointed towards the entrance to the great hall, averting Harry and Ron's eyes. Harry immediately stood up and pushed himself away from the table, followed closely by Ron.

"Well, the little know-it-all has been cured, brilliant," Blaise said with a huff.

Draco's eyes shot to the entrance of the great hall where he saw Hermione stand, searching through crowd. Her wild hair bounced around her shoulders as she took off running through the centre of the hall and into Harry's outstretched arms. He spun her around in the spot as they were reunited once more. Draco's heart beat fast and hard against his chest, he was ecstatic that Hermione was better but furious he wasn't able to welcome her back like her Gryffindor friends could.

Harry finally let her go and Ron moved over before he froze and took a step back, awkwardly holding out his hand for her to shake.

"What, no hug for the Weasel? I thought they were in love?" Blaise mocked.

"You seem really invested in their love life Blaise," Draco teased.

"Hey, what're friends for?" he smirked, winking at Draco's glare.

Draco turned his eyes back towards the reunion happening in the centre of the hall. His eyes fixed on Hermione as she moved towards the Gryffindor table, receiving hugs and pats on the back from everyone until she sat down beside Harry. He nudged her with his elbow, smiling down at her and with Fred to her left, who's arm draped around her shoulders.

After a few moments, the attention she was receiving finally died down and she was able to fill her plate with food in peace. Once she'd finished, she took a moment to glance around at the friends surrounding her and smiled at everyone as she comfortably fell back into routine with them all.

Her eyes moved beyond the Gryffindor table, and before Draco had a chance to look away, she locked onto his stare. Her smile fell slightly but a hint of it remained on her lips. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, she was right there, awake and looking at him. Hermione was the first to break eye contact as she looked down at her plate, smiling to herself.

Draco took this opportunity to excuse himself from the Slytherin table and left the great hall, heading straight to his family's secret room.

Author Note:

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!

Happy New Years Guys! I hope youve all have a lovely time over the holidays! I'm coming close finishing year 2, i cannot wait to start writing/posting year 3! I hope you guys are as excited as i am!


	18. Eighteen

_1993 - Second Year_

Hermione stood still, staring up at the dragon statue in front of her. Once she spotted Draco making his way out of the great hall, she waited a moment before she excused herself from the Gryffindor table and made her way after him. Although she had no idea where he had gone, Hermione could only guess he was heading to the same place she wanted to go too - his family's secret room - their old room.

She waited for nearly fifteen minutes outside of the room, staring into the eyes of the statue. Her heart pounded against her chest, it had been months since she stepped foot into the room in front of her and she wasn't even sure if she still could. Another minute went by as she tried to build up the courage to step forward and she inhaled deeply. Before she could slowly exhale she was quickly made aware of the burning inside her pocket, something she hadn't felt for a while. Reaching in, she pulled out a note, scrawled in Draco familiar handwriting. It read, 'Meet me in our room, we need to talk.'

Hermione inhaled once more as she stepped forward and pushed past the veil and into the room. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim light but once they did, she spotted Draco from across the room. He sat on the armchair next to the fire, his body leant forward, elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flames. She soon realised that her presence had gone unnoticed as she moved further into the room and her eyes remained on the Slytherin in front of her.

She cleared her throat, causing his head to spin in her direction and his eyes glued to hers as he rose from his seat.

"That was quick." He said.

Hermione breathed a small laugh through her nose. She could not only feel but see the awkwardness emitting from him, he looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

"I was already outside when you sent the note," She told him, trying to maintain a serious tone.

"Ah, right," he said lamely. She watched as his arm went up to the back of his head, his hand resting at the top of his neck whilst his other hand slid into his pocket as he awkwardly fidgeted on the spot.

"So... you asked me to come here?" Hermione went on. She knew why he had asked her there, of course, but she wanted to make him squirm just a little while longer. He looked back up at her and removed his hand from the back of his head, placing it in his other pocket.

"Yes.. erm... Well, I needed to speak to you," He started, the faintest sign of a blush appeared on his cheeks. "I wanted to apologise, I wanted to -"

"You're a complete ass, Draco Malfoy." Hermione interrupted, causing Draco to inhale sharply and stare wide-eyed at her. A small smile started to grow on her lips before it turned into a grin.

"You - you heard me?" Draco asked frantically, moving closer to her whilst she nodded, "How?!"

"It's hard to explain. At first, I thought it was a dream but then, in the great hall, the way you looked at me. You haven't looked at me like that since the start of the year. So I thought I'd follow you here to confront you, to see if it really happened," she told him. His mouth still hung open as she continued, "I can remember the conversations that happened around me but I don't remember the faces. I didn't see anything."

Draco finally closed his mouth and shook his head before he made his way over to the window seat, sitting down with his body turned to Hermione.

"So, did you mean it?" She asked, joining him at the window, "What you said to me in the hospital?"

"I meant all of it," he told her and she blushed as she looked down towards her now fidgeting hands. "I really am sorry, for everything."

"I know. You don't have to say it again, I know how uncomfortable apologising makes you feel," she chuckled.

"But I mean it, I just want to start over... Do you think that's possible?" he asked with hope in his eyes. Hermione looked back up at him and stared at him for a moment. He had done a lot to hurt her, said a lot but she could feel how sorry he was. She trusted that he regretted everything he had done.

"I haven't said my response to your first confession yet." She watched as his face fell slightly before he nodded for her to continue, "On the train to Hogwarts, I did not ask Fred nor George to take the piss out of you for my entertainment - "

"I know that now, I just-"

"Draco, this is going to take forever if you keep interrupting me," She said in a stern voice.

He snapped his jaw shut and looked down at his lap as she continued.

"As I was saying, I appreciate that our friendship left us in a bit of a predicament when our other friends were around, but I would never have encouraged people to make fun of you. As for the situation with the Pixies - if I'm honest - no I didn't think about you for a second when Lockhart let them loose, because you're very skilled in what magic you already know. I couldn't imagine you being in Neville's position when you know as much as you do already. Whereas Ron, he doesn't know as much, he was right next to me and he has a broken wand. I shouldn't have to explain myself, those actions should not have been a cause for the words you said afterwards." Hermione took a deep breath and tried to steady her ever-quickening heart rate as she relived the past few months over again in her head.

"When you called me a Mudblood, it hurt. Not just because of the word, I've been called it before by Blaise and it didn't hurt half as much when he said it. It hurt because we were friends, I considered you just as much a friend if not more than Harry and Ron. We have discussed my blood status time and time again, so for the words to fall so easily out of your mouth... Its something I'll never be able to forget Draco."

He turned to look at her with hurt in his eyes. His expression only distracted her from what she wanted to say and so she stood up to walk away from him.

"When I found out you wanted me to be the person that got killed, well - it was the final nail on the coffin. Whether you meant it or not, to find out that someone you once considered a close friend would happily see you dead as some sort of joke..." Hermione could feel the tears building up in eyes and she tried to blink them away.

"Hermione I didn't mean it, I told you why I said that -"

"I know that now, but it doesn't change the fact that I went for weeks believing that's how you felt. What happens if we have another argument in the future? Are you going to call me a Mudblood every time I piss you off? Write off our friendship every time Pansy whispers in your ear?"

"No of course not, I've learnt my lesson-"

"What happens after this summer, when we go a whole two months without seeing each other and we get back to school with you thinking something has changed again? How long will it be before you're snapping at me and laughing at me with your friends?"

"Hermione, stop!" Draco snapped as he stood up from his seat. She froze on the spot, her breathing so frantic now that it echoed through the room. He made his way over to her and stood in front of her with his hands fisted at his sides.

"Listen to me," He started, his voice clear and full of determination, "I _won't_ do this to you again Hermione, I promise. I have learnt my lesson and I have apologised countless times. I won't intentionally hurt you, and by extension, myself, ever again. I need this friendship, I need my best friend back."

She looked up at him as he finished, he moved his hands forward and paused slightly just before her face, almost waiting for her permission. When she didn't say anything, he moved his hands to wipe away the tears that had fell down her cheeks.

In one swift movement, Hermione moved his hands away and launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him closely and her head resting on his chest just below his chin. Draco didn't even have to think about reacting before his arms wrapped around her and he released a long breath, relaxing his shoulders that had been tense since the moment she had entered the room. They stood in silence like that for a few moments wrapped in each other's arms.

"I've missed you," she whispered to him.

"I've missed me too," he teased. She tried to pull away in protest but his arms only tightened his hold as he chuckled into her hair, "I'm kidding, I've missed you too."

After a few more moments they finally separated and moved back to their window seat. Hermione shifted to the back, pulling her legs up so that she was sat with them crossed, her hands in her lap. Draco stretched his legs out across the seat, watching her as she looked out of the window.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful this view could be, especially as the sun sets," She said quietly.

He smiled at the sight before him, content that he had his friend back. He watched as the low glow of the setting sun rested on her face, defining each freckle that laid upon her cheeks. The orange and red sky reflected off of her eyes, mixing with honey brown to make a warm colour that took Draco's breath away.

"So, Tom Riddles' Diary, explain." She turned back to him, a demanding tone to her voice.

'_Trust her to ruin the moment,'_ he thought. He sighed before answering her question and repositioned himself to get comfy.

"A week before school started in September, I attended another meeting with my father. It was the last of seven or maybe eight, I can't remember. Anyway, in the meeting he told everyone about the diary, he said that the Dark Lord gave it to him before his downfall. Apparently, he told my father that it was the key to opening up the Chamber of Secrets. He didn't say how, only that he would one day call upon my father to use it but he died before that could happen. So my father decided that this year was the year he was going to use it, especially now that Potter is here."

"I remembered the stories he told me when I was little. They were similar to the stories most magical families would've been told, only my father told me what the monster was, he told me about the Basilisk. He told everyone in the meeting that he planned to send the diary to Hogwarts, that he would find his victim in Diagon Alley. I knew I had a limited amount of time to find the information I needed that would eventually help you. When I found it in our library, I then went to search for the same information in a book that wasn't in my library, so that I could remove the page without raising suspicion later down the line."

"So this was your father plan? He wanted to rid the school of Muggleborns and hoped that, what, Harry would be killed in the process?" Hermione asked and Draco nodded at her before he continued.

"He figured that Potter would find a way to get himself involved. He put the diary in Weaselettes cauldron in Diagon Alley, the day you saw us in Flourish and Blotts. I very nearly gave you the page there and then but I was too concerned I would get caught."

"Draco I appreciate the help regardless of when you gave it to me. Without your help I could've died, Ginny could've died too," Hermione told him.

He frowned, "Yes, but I should've told you sooner."

"Well, it was your mirror that stopped me from stepping out into the middle of the library and getting killed. It was your information that made me realize the final pieces, and then, later on, helped Ron and Harry to realise." Draco's face screwed up at the mention of their names, "Look, I know you don't like them very much-"

Draco snorted, "That's an understatement-"

"-But they're my friends too, don't make it difficult for me. I don't pull my face at your friends. Speaking of which, why is Blaise giving you such a hard time?" she asked.

"Like I said, he sees things. In first year, when you, Potty, and Weasel went on your little mission to find the Philosophers stone, as soon as you were back and in the hospital the whole school had found out about it. I couldn't help but react when he came back to the common room, laughing about it. He noticed my expression and I left not long after that, which raised more suspicion. Whenever someone mentions your name, if they say something nasty, sometimes I just ignore it but sometimes I can't control my face, and Blaise sees it. I snapped at him last year about it and he hasn't done it as much since, but Theo's made a comment and Pansy has too. I can tell his words don't get completely ignored by them, which is why I said what I said to Crabbe and Goyle."

She nodded, listening intently and Draco narrowed his eyes at her, "Come to think of it, how did you know that's what I'd said?"

Hermione blushed at his question. This was the one thing that she had hoped he wouldn't ask her, but she knew she could trust him. He was telling her so much, she couldn't help but do the same.

"We wanted to know who was opening the Chamber of Secrets. Ron was convinced you were the Heir of Slytherin. Harry wasn't far behind until he started to think it was himself when he was speaking parseltongue but he just wasn't aware of what he was doing. So I came up with a plan to find out and we drugged Crabbe and Goyle with cake. Once they were knocked out, Harry and Ron stole some of their hair and I added it to a Polyjuice potion I'd been brewing..." Hermione told him, his face turning from a mixture of shock to annoyance and then to amazement.

"So, when I stood there and asked them if there was anyone worse than Dumbledore..."

"Harry said himself," Hermione nodded.

"I did wonder why they were acting so weird, but why did they run off so quickly? They were barely there for 10 minutes."

"Because it took them so long to find the Slytherin common room that by the time they got there, the potion was pretty much wearing off."

Draco nodded at her, processing this new information. "Wait," he said as another piece fell into place, "So that night I came to the hospital wing and you were in bed with ears, was that a result of a Polyjuice Potion gone wrong?"

Hermione pinched her face, "Yes, I ended up with cat hair instead, which is why it took so long to wear off."

Draco started to laugh at her, unable to hide it behind his hand and she smacked his arm playfully. "Does Harry have an invisibility cloak?" Draco asked, rather off-topic.

"He does, why?"

"I followed my father down to Hagrid's the day he and Dumbledore were escorted off the premises and when they all left, Harry and Ron ran into the Forbidden Forest, but they just appeared out of thin air," Draco told her.

"It was a gift from his father," Hermione said and she watched as the confusion splashed across his face. "He left it with someone before he died."

Draco nodded at her and turned back to the window.

"So, your fathers getting you more involved then?" she asked.

"Yes, but we always knew that was going to happen." He sighed, "The meetings are just a bunch of former Death Eaters reminding each other about the good old days whilst they all argue with each other about who has the best plan to bring the Dark Lord back."

"Don't worry, they're not even close," he added as her face paled at the thought of Voldemort returning. "I hate that I have to go to them but I can't say no to my father."

She nodded at him, hating once more the situation his father put him in. "There was something I was wondering. It sounded like Professor Snape was in the hospital wing at one point, why? He doesn't hide his annoyance towards me. I'm his least favourite student, and that's saying something because I'm pretty sure he hates children in general."

Draco chuckled before he responded, "Yes, he was there to remind me that I'd been an idiot not to warn you sooner about what was happening. He knew my father had planned something and knew about it. He also knows from our previous Occlumency lessons that we had a close relationship. Snape warned me that one day, Father is going to ask something of me, and I'll need to decide what's more important; following his orders or saving the people I care about."

Hermione blushed once more as she listened to him, filled with worry for when that day may come, "Do you think he was in a similar situation? Perhaps he was presented with a choice and he made the wrong one. Its almost like he's warning you not to follow in his footsteps."

"Maybe... I haven't really thought about it but that does make sense. I'll ask him one day when he's in a good mood."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, the thought of Snape being in a good mood was funny to them both as they both broke out in laughter. Their laughter eventually died down and smiles remained on both of their faces.

"It's good to have you back, Granger," Draco told her.

"Don't backtrack now, you've called me Hermione so many times today!" she scolded him and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry _Hermione_, It won't happen again," he winked at her.

"So, the summer holidays are coming up, am I still not going to be able to write to you?" Hermione asked, dreading the answer.

"I've decided to screw the old plan, we will write to each other. Don't sign any though, and send them the way you did last time - our way," he told her and a smile lit up her face.

"If you wanted, we could even meet up over the holidays?" Draco asked hesitantly and he nervously waited for the answer.

Hermione shifted in her seat, wondering how it would be possible. She was confident, however, that they would find a way, "That sounds lovely, two months is a long time not to see each other. I might just forget what you look like," She teased.

"You couldn't forget these dashing good looks," Draco joked, earning a cushion to the face from Hermione.

"Careful, otherwise I'll leave you off my list of people to see through the holidays!" Hermione laughed.

Draco sobered slightly as he remembered her other friends, "Hermione, I'm never going to be ok with Potter and Weasel, you know that, don't you?"

His words made her frown, "I don't understand why, but yes."

"I don't suppose Potter has had a chance to tell you what happened in his discussion with him and my father?" The look in Hermione's eyes clearly indicated that her answer was no.

"I wasn't aware he had even spoken with your father..."

"Well he did, the morning after he saved the Weaselette from the Chamber. Potter went to see Dumbledore and afterwards, he had a little confrontation with my father. Dobby, my house-elf was there." Draco paused, remembering that he was never going to see his favourite house-elf again. It made him feel uneasy, he would be returning home this year and be completely alone.

"When you were little and you got poorly, your parents would look after you, right? Bring your medicine, sit with you when you couldn't sleep, tuck you in once you'd drifted?" She nodded at his question.

"How about if you were grounded - scratch that, I can't imagine you ever getting grounded. What about nights where you weren't with your friends, your parents would play games with you? Entertain you?" she nodded once more.

"If you were upset about something, one of them would comfort you, cheer you up if need be?"

Confused, she nodded again and waited patiently for him to reach his point.

"My parents weren't like that for me, but Dobby was. Potter passed Tom Riddles diary back to my father knowing he would hand it to Dobby and he hid a sock inside."

The realisation of what Draco was saying to her dawned on her and her stomach dropped, "Draco I'm so sorry." She moved to put a hand on his arm to comfort him.

"It's not your fault. I suppose it's what's be and all because Potter felt like he had the right to make that decision. What's worse... Dobby was so happy to be free, I wonder if he even cared that he wouldn't see me again."

"Harry probably didn't realise what he was doing. I'm sure if he did, he wouldn't have done it." Hermione tried.

"He would," Draco told her, his tone serious. This wasn't an argument she wanted to engage in considering they had just made up.

"Well, I'm sorry, Draco. I know he meant a lot to you, even if you could never admit it and I'm sure you were just as important to him. Don't you think, though, that it's good he's been freed? I'm sure as important to you as he was, your father didn't feel the same way. I can only imagine how horrible it must be, to be a slave to someone like him."

Draco shoulders slumped at her words and realized she was right, "Yes, as much as I'll miss him, I know he had it much worse than I did."

"Hey, if you need someone to comfort you when you're at home, just write to me. I'll cheer you up," she said with a smile on her face and he chuckled at her efforts. "So its a deal then, I'll write to you and we will arrange a time and a place to meet over the holidays," Hermione said as she stood up.

"Its a date," He confirmed and rose to his feet to join her, she grinned and nodded at him.

"We better head back anyway. I've only just got out of the hospital, people will wonder where I am. If I don't see you before we head home, I expect a letter upon your arrival!" she said giddily before she hugged him once more. This one was shorter than their last, but they both needed it from being away from each other for so long.

"See you later, Hermione," he whispered as he let her go and Hermione turned and left the room. He wandered back to the window, unable to remove the smile from his face.

He had her back, his bushy-haired, know-it-all Gryffindor friend was back.

~X~

"I am absolutely dreading getting home. I've missed my parents but they're going to suffocate me!" Hermione told Harry and Ron as they sat on the Hogwarts Express heading back to Kings Cross.

"They'll be fine, they're just protective that's all," Ron tried to comfort her, but she knew what she was returning home to.

Her dad was the overprotective type who had expressed his concerns for her safety in her first year at Christmas break. She had spent the duration of the holidays convincing him that she would be fine in the wizarding world, no harm would come to her and she could handle things herself.

Once Hermione was petrified, Headmaster Dumbledore informed her parents of the situation. She had imagined the looks on their faces when they were told about what it meant to be petrified and how it happens. She was told by Madame Pomfrey that it had taken at least a week for her parents to eventually leave and trust that she was in capable hands. Once she was cured, if it wasn't for the fact that school was so closed to being finished and she would be home shortly, they would have stepped on the next train to see her.

"I know, it could be worse. I imagine your mum isn't even going to let Ginny out of the house this summer," She said to Ron.

"Well, luckily for her, our parents are taking us to Egypt for the summer. We leave the week after next, so there isn't anywhere for her to go without one of us anyway. That won't stop mum from watching her like a hawk though," Ron told her through a mouthful of chocolate.

"What're your plans for over the summer, Harry?" Harry turned to her once he managed to peel his eyes away from watching Ron try to swallow the load of chocolate he had shoved into his mouth.

"Nothing too exciting, I'll probably just hide under the stairs and stay out of Dudley's way. Plus, Uncle Vernon's sister is coming over and I'm not quite sure when that's happening. She is someone I will be staying well away from if I can help it," He responded.

"Do you think they'll let you see us this time? Or at least write to us?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but at least this time I'm going to get any letters you send me."

"What happened to Dobby?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore offered him a job in the kitchens, he's getting paid and everything. Its a whole load better than where he was anyway."

She couldn't bring herself to comment. Although he may have been right, not being under the control of Lucius Malfoy was the best thing for Dobby, she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought about the little creature that Draco would be missing intensely this summer.

~X~

What're everyone's plans for the summer then?" Blaise asked his Slytherin friends as they all sat in the open compartments at the head of the train.

"My father is sending my mother and me to France for the first few weeks of the holidays like he does every year. I cannot wait to go shopping in Paris," Pansy squealed to herself and many eyes rolled around her.

"We have the annual Masquerade to look forward to, is Cissy hosting it this year?" Blaise asked Draco.

"Blaise, I don't know how many times I've told you this, stop calling my mother Cissy. You know she would slap you if she ever found out." Draco huffed, "But yes, she is hosting it this year. Which means when I arrive home, no doubt that will be the main topic of conversation so I shall be making myself scarce for the next few weeks until it's over with"

"Slap me? Cissy would never!" Blaise joked, "Well at least we can all get together, I say this year we make our own party down near the lake," he suggested to the group.

Crabbe and Goyle both nodded their heads enthusiastically and Draco stroked the side of his face whilst he pondered over what Blaise was saying. He debated how they would get away with sneaking away from the party without their parents noticing. He turned to his friend Theo who sat with his feet stretched out resting on the bench opposite him. His arms were folded with his head leant back in the seat and his hair was tied up out of his face, almost as if he was trying to sleep.

"Will there be alcohol at this party?" Theo asked as he felt multiple eyes burning into him as he tried to rest.

"We could sneak some, I could put it in place before the event, hide it down by the lake," Draco suggested.

"And will Narcissa allow for it?" Theo asked, again without opening his eyes.

The alcohol or the separate party?"

"Both."

"Well, no to the alcohol, but we can keep that a secret. Everyone will just have to refrain from getting overly drunk. The party... I'm not sure, I'll speak to her about it. I'll make up something about how their party is boring for us 'kids' and this would be an excellent bonding experience outside of school," Draco laughed, the plan seemed ridiculous but it could work.

"Ooo, I feel like I have to go outfit shopping now!" Pansy clapped her hands excitedly.

"Pansy, you've just said you're going to Paris, can't you find one there?" Blaise asked.

Pansy scowled at him as she waved his question off without giving him a reply, "Daphne, come shopping with me for an outfit?" Pansy asked the tall, dark-haired girl that sat in the compartment behind her.

"I suppose..." Daphne drawled.

"Hey Greengrass, you do realise this means you'll have to get your head out of that book to come and have fun with the rest of us?" Theo said to Daphne as he opened his eyes.

"Are you going?" She asked Theo, moving her book slightly to the side to get a better look at him.

"Of course," he winked at her.

Her face remained blank as she moved back behind her book, "Well then, I can't imagine there's going to be much fun to be had with you around, Theodore."

Draco and Blaise shot eyes and shocked expressions at each other before they both turned to Theo and burst out in fits of laughter. Theo finally closed his jaw from the shock, clenching it before he scowled at his friends. Not long after, he relaxed once more and closed his eyes, returning to his previous position.

"Any other plans Draco?" Blaise asked, changing the subject as they both calmed down from their laughter.

"Not really, I imagine I'll be doing the usual, attending meetings with father, travelling to France with mother for a week. Same shit, different year," Draco answered, looking very uninterested.

He left out the part he was most excited about - his plan to meet up with Hermione. He turned away from his friends and looked out of the window whilst he tried to figure out where he was going to meet her. He smiled to himself as he thought about the perfect place he could take her where nobody would find them.

"What're you grinning about over there?" Blaise asked with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Just thinking about the party," Draco lied before turned back to look out the window.

Author Note:

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkle for being the best beta through all of this!


	19. Nineteen

1993 - Second Year

Hermione perched on a bench in the height of summer in the middle of Hyde Park, overlooking the small lake that sat before her. She welcomed the occasional gust of wind that blew past and cooled her down temporarily.

It had been four weeks since she had last seen Draco. They had communicated on a daily basis, more frequently than she had written to Harry or Ron. The pair had been unsuccessful in finding a time to meet each other without being caught.

After the first week of the summer holidays, Hermione had received a letter from the Improper Use Of Magic Office, warning her that she was not supposed to be doing magic outside of school unless she had been granted permission to do so or it was specific for homework. Since then, Draco had been sending his owl, which would have to wait for Hermione's response before leaving as she didn't own one herself. This meant that her replies were sometimes very rushed and she became frustrated with the current situation very quickly.

Finally, Draco had had enough of trying to find ways to meet up with her and had told his parents that he planned to go to London to meet up with one of his friends in Diagon Alley. Each time he had tried this, his father had told him he would accompany him on the way as he also had business to attend to, so Draco always had to cancel on her.

In one last attempt, Draco waited until his father left for the Ministry and told his mother he was leaving to get some supplies for the Masquerade party. She didn't fully believe the lie, but didn't question it as she smiled and nodded at him. He quickly left for the Floo where Draco was able to finally leave the manor without his overbearing chaperone.

He Floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron, his first stop before he made his way through muggle London, something he hadn't done since he was a child. Trying not to get lost in the busy streets, he followed the signs and made his way to Hyde Park and excitement buzzed through his veins the closer he got to his destination.

Once he arrived at the entrance, he made his way towards to bench he had told her to meet him at. Thankfully, the park wasn't too busy and it was just early enough that there were only a few dog walkers and the occasional jogger wandering around.

'Less chance of us being caught,' Draco thought.

Draco arrived at the opening of a small lake where, in the distance, he spotted Hermione sitting on a bench. She looked towards the trees and flowerbeds to the side of her, the wind blowing her hair away from her face. She looked picturesque and a small smile crept on his face at the sight of her.

Picking up the pace, he made his way towards Hermione. She was oblivious to her surroundings and hadn't yet noticed Dracos arrival until he tapped his foot gently against hers, causing her to jump.

It took a moment for her to register that it was him, somehow in the four weeks they had been apart, he had changed so much already. He stood taller, yet again. His face and body had filled out slightly, he was becoming leaner as opposed to the skinny, small boy she had met first year and his hair was more ruffled and slightly longer as it fell over his eyes. She looked up into his grey eyes and a smile spread across her face before she jumped up and embraced him.

"It's good to see you too," Draco laughed as he hugged her back. Hermione was the first to pull away and sit back down on the bench, gesturing for him to sit beside her.

"I swear you grow so much every time we have some time away from each other," she said, looking him up and down.

"Well I am a growing boy, Hermione," Draco chuckled as he moved his arm to rest along the back on the bench behind her.

"So, even though we have spoken every single day," Draco gave her a teasing smile, "How're you?"

"I'm good, warm, but good. The views here are beautiful, I've never been to this part of London before. In fact, I'm surprised you have."

"And whys that?" Draco questioned, raising his eyebrow as he smirked at her.

"Well... It's muggle London. I just can't picture your parents bringing you here to play with the duckies," Hermione laughed as she said the words.

"My mother used to bring me here before we would visit her sister, and no, I didn't play with the duckies. I would just sit and watch the world go by with her," he told her.

She took this moment to look out onto the lake once more and the sun rose higher in the sky lighting up the scene around her, she was enjoying every second of the moment.

"Did the muggles not bother you? I mean, with your family's beliefs and everything," she asked more quietly now, unsure as to whether or not the question would offend him.

"Not really, back then I didn't fully understand the difference between us and them. I only knew that we were better," he answered without looking at her.

"Thought," Hermione corrected, causing him to look at her once more.

"We are better Hermione, we have magic, power," he responded, making her sigh. She knew she had made progress breaking down the walls from his prejudice upbringing but some things she just couldn't change his opinion on. One day she would but for now, she had just gotten him back.

"So tell me, how did it feel to get a telling off from the Ministry you little rule-breaker," Draco winked at her and she scowled in response.

"Not great, mum and dad were disappointed. I explained that I didn't think it was magic significant enough for the Ministry to pick up on, did you know?"

"That you would get caught? No of course not, if I'm honest I didn't really think about it. It's different for me," he shrugged.

Hermione's face turned to a frown before she spoke, "Why? Because you're a Pureblood?" Hermione asked with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Yes, but not because that status gives us some exclusion to the rule. It is because we are a household of magic, everyone there including the house-elves perform magic every day. So, it's difficult to pinpoint where and who the magic is coming from, the Ministry don't tend to bother investigating if it gets flagged up. Whereas in your scenario, you're the only one, therefore it's obvious," he explained, Hermione relaxed as she realised what he said made sense,

"Well it's just lucky that you figured out what had happened, I was scared you wouldn't write and would think I was ignoring you," she responded.

"After the first day you hadn't replied, I knew you had received it because it didn't come back to me. With that particular spell, if the recipient ignores it the note returns to sender. I assumed there was something wrong so I sent an owl, which is charmed to only release the letter to the intended recipient, it'll claw anyone else who tries."

"Did you think someone else had found the note, that's why I hadn't replied?"

"It crossed my mind, which is why I sent the owl."

"I just don't understand how I didn't receive one sooner. I'd used the same spell the first Christmas holidays and I cast a spell on the Christmas tree, they didn't say anything then,"

"They might not have thought you knew better yet. You'd not long been at Hogwarts and introduced into the Wizarding world, you might have had some leeway at first. Anyway, back to the original reason I told you to meet me here. If it wasn't for the trips here with my mother, I would've never discovered my favourite book store," he said. She turned to him, a smile on her lips and a glint in her eye.

"Book store?" she asked, he couldn't help but smile at her giddiness.

"Come on, I'll show you," he said as he stood up, leading the way out of the park.

The pair walked in silence through the ever-growing crowded streets of London, until eventually, they stopped outside a small terraced building that looked tattered and run down. Hemione took note of how close in location it was to the Leaky Caldron. The building appeared to be vacant, there were no signs that it was in fact a shop nor had it been for a very long time. Eyeing Draco who was still smirking at her, she pushed the handle of the door and stepped inside.

She couldn't help but gasp as she walked through the threshold, the sound of a bell rang twice as it closed behind them. What looked like a run-down, small shop from the outside, turned out to be a very large book store more than three times the size of Flourish and Blotts on the inside, with three separate floors of books.

Hermione was in complete awe with the beauty of the shop, when she felt Draco whisper in her ear, "Go have fun." She nodded as his voice left goosebumps down the back of her neck and without turning back to him, she wandered further into the shop.

The store was separated into two halves, muggle and wizarding authors. Each aisle was then categorized by genre, and then alphabetically. She knew she could get completely lost in the shop, and spend days just scanning through the aisles before she ever actually took anything. After a few moments of looking around, Draco caught up with her.

"See anything you want?" he asked.

She turned to him to find him leaning against one of the bookshelves with his arms folded. For the first time that morning, Hermione noticed he was wearing something other than robes. He wore black trousers that, had she known better, she could've sworn were jeans. His white shirt fit him snugly around the waist, untucked and his sleeves rolled up just above his forearms. He was dressed quite smart for a casual outing but he pulled it off with his ruffled hair and boyish smile. Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach as he stared at her, waiting for her response.

"There's too much to choose from," she answered finally, turning away to hide her blush.

'I'm obviously just overwhelmed by the bookstore,' she thought to herself as she tried to understand why butterflies were wreaking havoc in her stomach.

"There's a cafe on the third floor. This place is also a library so if you don't want to buy anything, you can just read." He told her and it was like music to her ears.

"Even better," she said as she grabbed a book off of the shelf and grabbed Draco's arm, guiding him towards the stairs.

The pair sat down as Draco ordered two milkshakes and Hermione opened her book to start reading before he noticed the book she was reading.

"Beings, Beasts and Spirits?"

"I'm hoping to find some information on house-elves, the outrageous abuse and enslavement horrifies me. I'd like to know more about why wizards find it acceptable to treat a fellow member of the magical community so cruelly," she told him very flatly. He simply nodded in response and watched as she turned back to her book to begin reading.

Draco sat with his third milkshake, watching Hermione as she read her book. They had been there for over an hour and she hadn't looked up once. If it hadn't been for the fact that he simply enjoyed her company, even without conversation, he would've left her to her book a while ago.

"Hermione, I'm going to have to leave shortly," he told her, the disappointment clear in his voice.

She looked up from her book, her expression matching his tone as she closed it and sighed."I'm sorry, I got carried away. We haven't even had a chance to talk."

"It's fine, we write to each other every day. It was nice to just spend some time with you," he told her and she couldn't help but smile up at him.

"Besides, I like watching you read. Your eyebrows scrunch up when you read something you don't fully understand and you kind of nod to yourself when it finally clicks. Not to mention you bite your lip when you find something interesting and itch your nose whenever you don't agree with what's written." he gave her a smirk and she couldn't help but blush at his observation.

"Will I see you again before school starts?" she asked, trying to quickly change the subject.

"I'm not sure, we could try. But then, it's taken us four weeks just to see each other once..." he answered, making her smile fall from her face as she nodded with understanding.

"There's a masquerade party happening at my house before we return to school," he started.

"Let me guess, I'm invited," she teased, knowing she was saying the impossible.

"I wish. No, I was thinking, while everyone is distracted, I could sneak out and come see you?" he suggested and Hermione thought it over for a second before she nodded.

"That could work, as long as you wear your mask," she chuckled.

He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked,"Oh really? Like the idea of me in a mask?" He teased, causing her to blush.

"I meant only that I wouldn't want you to be caught with me," she joked and Draco laughed, shaking his head before he stood up. She started to rise from her chair also but he held out a hand to stop her.

"No, stay. I've told the shop keeper that you're going to be buying something so make sure you choose a book. It's going on my tab," he told her and she sat back down. "Enjoy the rest of your day Hermione."

She looked up at him, unsure whether or not to hug him before he left. He smiled at her once more before he turned and headed towards the stairs and as he reached the top he looked back at her.

"See you in a few weeks, I'll be the one in the mask," he winked at her before he left.

Hermione turned back to her now closed book, her hand still placed in the middle, keeping her page. She felt her cheeks burn as she thought about Draco's exit. She had spent countless hours alone with him, fallen asleep in his arms time after time and yet something felt different, her heart raced a little faster and she even found herself at a loss for words at one point.

'Perhaps it's the fact that it's a different setting, outside of school, or that's it's been a while,' she told herself.

Finally, she opened her book and continued her reading, trying not to think about the next time she would see Draco again.

Trying, but failing.

~X~

Draco stood in his kitchen, eating the pancakes their new head house-elf had made him whilst he watched his mother put together the final pieces for the masquerade party that would happen later that evening.

He had said he would avoid the house whilst that very process was ongoing until he had asked his mother if at some point during the night, he could wander off with his friends so that they could have their own party. She had agreed that it was a good idea for them to spend time together as a group outside of school and it also meant that the adults would have time together without their children around.

At least, that was the point he had made which sold the idea for his mother. Her only condition was that he would help her where needed and he was beginning to wonder if it was worth it when she asked for his opinion on yet another decoration.

"Right, that's it, I'm done," Narcissa declared and Draco sighed with relief, the day was finally his.

"Try not to sound too pleased," She said sarcastically to her son that looked nothing but thrilled to be done helping her.

"I can't say it's been the most fun I've had in a while mother, but it wasn't awful. Now, I'm going to sort my own things out for tonight, I'll see you later," he told her before he kissed her on the cheek and wandered out of the room.

Evening dawned and Draco could hear the music from his room, along with the guests that had started to arrive. He looked at himself once more in the mirror, examining his fine tailored black suit that his mother had insisted he wore. He picked up his silver bow tie and fastened it around his neck before he picked up his matching silver mask and pulled it over his head, firmly placing it over his eyes.

'That'll do,' he thought, and left his room to join the party.

As he made his way down the stairs to the main entrance, he could hear the loud chatter from the guests, one loud shrill laugh stood out to him above all of the chatter.

'Pansy' he thought, before he shuddered.

"There you are," Narcissa said as she stepped out of the room she was entertaining their guests in and greeted Draco who stood at the bottom of the stairs, hoping to put off entering the room for as long as possible.

"The place looks wonderful mother, and as always, you look beautiful," Draco told her.

She smiled brightly behind her silver mask that was detailed very similarly to her sons. She wore a floor-length silver satin dress, that had long sleeves and fit comfortably around her petite body. Her hair pinned back with the most astonishing diamond hairpiece that glimmered in the light.

"Come on, you have guests to greet," she told him as she threaded her arm through his and began to walk with him back into the room she had just exited moments ago. She guided him through the room, where he tried to ignore the stares from the other guests,

"Narcissa!" a voice shrieked, causing both Draco and his mother to stop in their tracks whilst they witnessed a young woman in a bright green, short sparkly dress walk towards them very quickly. "I love what you have done with the place! It's positively darling," the woman drawled.

Draco felt his mothers grip tighten on his arm as if to indicate she did not want him to leave her with the woman.

"Thank you, Eliza, I'm glad you approve. Draco, this is Eliza Rookwood. Eliza, this is my son, Draco." Narcissa introduced him to the woman in front who beamed behind her mask at him,

"The youngest Malfoy! My husband has told me all about you," she said as she held out her hand for Draco to take. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs Rookwood," he responded as he held out her hand and bowed his head slightly at her, causing her to giggle like a young schoolgirl. If it hadn't been for the unnecessarily large ring on her finger and her comment about her husband, he would've mistaken her for a 'Miss' given she looked like she couldn't be that much older than he was.

"Your son is such a charmer, Cissy!" she laughed, pulling her hand away from him.

Narcissa hummed in agreement before she pulled on her son's arm once more and prepared for her exit from the uncomfortable encounter with the woman in front of them. "It's been a pleasure, Eliza. I will try to catch up with you later, perhaps but we must get going, for now, we have lots of guests to welcome."

"Yes of course! I shall see you later!" She was speaking to his mother, but her gaze on Draco.

When they finally reached a good distance away his mother slowed down and sighed, "It's people like that why I hate these parties," she commented.

He chuckled quietly behind his mask and turned to his mother as they stopped to glance around the room at their guests. "Who was that? I nearly called her Miss, I assumed she was the daughter of August, until I saw the huge rock on her hand."

"Yes, that rock was given to her by Augustus Rookwood, she is his wife," she told him with a smirk, anticipating his shock as he turned to her.

"But she must be at least half of his age!"

His mother nodded at him, he turned back to the party and watched as the woman he had just been introduced to moments ago, was making her way around the guests loudly introducing herself.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't," Draco heard Blaise whisper in his ear as he walked around him and slowly came into view. He shook his head at his friend in disapproval before he turned to greet Narcissa.

"Good Evening, Mrs Malfoy. Your house is looking amazing as ever, truly breathtaking but then I expect nothing less from a host to match," Blaise said as he held onto Narcissa's hand.

She gave him a slight nod before she pulled her hand from his grasp."Thank you, Blaise, for your kind words."

She turned to Draco and gave his arm one last squeeze, "I will leave you boys to enjoy the party, try not to get yourselves into trouble and please wait a little before you wander off to your own party." She gave him a stern look behind her mask before she walked gracefully off back into the crowd.

"Y'know Draco, Your mum's pre-" Blaise started but was interrupted by Draco's fist in his stomach, hard enough to shut him up but not enough to cause a disturbance.

"I'm warning you Zabini, do not finish that sentence," he said quietly through his teeth.

Blaise took the hint and refrained from finishing what he was saying as he rubbed the soreness from his middle.

"Come on, let's go mingle," Draco told him and they both headed off into the crowd, greeting guests and making conversation until it was acceptable for them to sneak off to their own party.

~X~

"THEO, NO!" Pansy screeched before being thrown into the lake, with Theo willingly jumping in straight after her. The group of Slytherins had excused themselves within a few hours from the party and had not wasted any time before their own celebrations had begun.

Draco watched as Blaise stiffened beside him at the sight of Pansy in distress, smirking to himself and rolling his eyes. He glanced back at the soaking girl who was making her way out of the lake towards the fire they had built.

"Why don't you go along and help warm her up?" Draco teased, earning himself a punch in the arm from his friend before he stood and walked over to the fire.

"He does realise Pansy isn't interested in him in the slightest, doesn't he?" Daphne asked him, making him aware of her sudden presence.

"If he doesn't after all this time, then it's his own fault when he gets shot down," Draco chuckled.

"Evening all," Theo said as he sat down further in front of Draco, shaking his long hair like a wet dog before he tied it back.

"Thanks for that, mate," Draco wiped the cold water from his face. Theo grinned in response, showing all of his pearly white teeth and Draco couldn't help but laugh at his friend when he smiled like that.

"Enjoying yourself, Greengrass?" Theo asked.

"I was, until a certain someone came along," she responded.

"That's no way to speak about Draco, we are at his house after all," Theo joked, causing Draco to roll his eyes and stand up. "See, he's leaving now. So you should be more comfortable," Daphne looked up at Draco with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Play nice," he warned Theo who held his hands up in the air in an attempt to make himself look innocent.

Moving through the crowd of Slytherins he made his way back to the manor, slipping in through an entrance to the side of the house, he discreetly made his way to the fire in the kitchens. He never understood why there was an active Floo network there when there were only House Elves that entered that room, but he was grateful to be out of prying eyes when he called the words 'The Leaky Cauldron' out and made his way to see Hermione.

~X~

Hermione checked and rechecked the letter Draco had sent to her detailing the time and location he wanted her to meet him at. She glanced at the clock in her bedroom, it was past midnight and she was planning to sneak out of her house. It was something she had never even thought about doing before, something she had never envisioned herself ever doing.

Closing her door quietly behind herself, she turned and crept down the stairs slowly, taking deep breaths with every other step. Mumbling her destination in the fireplace as quietly and softly as she could, Hermione reappeared at a deserted Leaky Cauldron.

Stepping out of the fire, she wiped the soot off of her clothes and made her way towards the back of the pub to find the entrance to Diagon Alley. After walking through the brick wall into the Alley, she stopped for a moment to take in her surroundings. Everything seemed more magical with the only source of light in the streets being the reflection from the moon.

Inhaling a deep breath, Hermione moved on through the Alley, continuing on her route. As she turned the corner, walking past Gringotts, she spotted a figure beside the fountain. The closer she gained to the fountain, the clearer it became that the person who stood beside it was who she was intending to meet.

She allowed herself a couple of seconds to take him in, the view of him, the smart fitting suit, the silver bow tie but most importantly, the mask. She cleared her throat before she moved beside him, causing him to turn and face her.

She froze the moment his eyes fell upon her, the night's sky reflected off of his mask, causing his eyes usual pale eyes to swirl in pools of dark grey. It made his stare all that more intense for her.

The way Draco felt about Hermione's golden brown eyes glimmering in the sunlight, was how Hermione felt when the moon created swirls of various shades of grey in his.

"Hey," he said quietly, breaking Hermione from her trance. She shook her head slightly and stepped back, hiding her blush away from him.

"You wore the mask," she smirked as she looked back at him. He pulled it from his face and slowly placed it around her eyes, securing the ribbon at the back of her head as Hermione inhaled, taking in his scent.

"There, looks better on you," he said as he stepped away.

She looked up at him, grateful that the mask hid her pink cheeks.

"Come on, let's go," he said as he grabbed her hand.

"Go?" She asked as she remained rooted.

"This was just where I wanted you to meet me, this isn't where we are staying," he said with a hint of mystery in his eyes.

He turned away from her and pulled her towards the small closing between two buildings. They walked through various tight pathways and narrow gaps between buildings before they finally stopped before some ladders. Draco turned to her and gestured for her to climb and, without questioning him, she moved forward and did as he asked. When the pair finally reached the top, Hermione glanced around, only seeing brick wall with no means of housing further up.

Taking her hand once more, he pulled her through the brick wall where on the other side, they stood on top of a tall roof with no walls surrounding the top aside from the one behind them. Hermione held her breath, removing the mask Draco had placed earlier as she realised she could see the whole of London from where she stood, both Muggle and Wizard.

Without realising, she moved to the centre of the roof, suddenly very aware of how high up they were. She turned to Draco who had remained near the wall they had walked through, watching her as she stood in complete awe of her surroundings.

"This is amazing, the view is incredible," she whispered.

Draco gave a small laugh through his nose in response and moved towards a blanket that had been stretched out across the floor. After taking a seat he picked up a box off the floor and turned to Hermione.

"Care to join me?" He asked.

She smiled and moved to sit beside him, grateful for the lack of ledges surrounding them as she still had full view of the city. She watched as he opened the box before her and several globes shot out around them to hover and, after a few seconds, they started to glow.

"They're beautiful..." she whispered as she looked around at the lights before turning back to him, "How did you find this place?"

"Father used to bring me along to Borgin and Burke's when I was little. I got bored very easily, so I used to wander off and explore all of the back entrances to all of the shops, all of the secret passageways. One day I stumbled across this building when I climbed the ladders I found this rooftop and decided this was my safe haven away from home."

She nodded and turned back to overlook the city. "It's breathtaking,"

He nodded, all the while looking at her whilst she admired the view. "I'd rather be here than back home at the party."

"That good?" She chuckled.

"It was ok, I suppose. Blaise was throwing himself all over Pansy who isn't interested. Theo was trying his hardest to break down Daphne's walls, who again, isn't interested and Crabbe and Goyle were ignoring my 'don't get too drunk' rule."

"They were drinking?"

"It is a party." he laughed at her.

She wrinkled her nose at him, "Are your parents ok with that? We are much too young to be drinking.""

"You're such a stickler for the rules, it's adorable," he chuckled and nudged into her gently with his shoulder as she scowled at him. "No, they wouldn't be if they knew. Which is why I told everyone not to get overly drunk."

"Will they notice you're gone?"

"Perhaps, but they won't come looking for me. I should have at least an hour before I have to head back."

She nodded at his response and moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me here," she said quietly and he hummed in response.

She felt completely at ease with their closeness, nothing about it felt uncomfortable or awkward, more like she was at home. Draco noticed how calm and collected he felt whenever Hermione was around, everything else seemed to disappear around him. However, something felt different for them both.

Neither one could ignore the fact that their hearts raced a little more at their proximity, but neither one questioned why it did.

Author Note:

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!

Thank you so much for all of the follows, likes, loves, reviews, you name it, I'm very grateful! I hope you're all still enjoying the story, I'm very excited to start on the next chapter as chapter 20 is the start of third year and things are going to change yet again! Keep up the reviews, I love hearing what you all think and I promise take onboard any criticism you may have.


	20. Twenty

_1993 - Third Year_

Hermione sat at the large table in the Leaky Caldron beside Mrs Weasley, listening to Ron talk about his trip to Egypt with his family. It had been weeks since she had seen any of the Weasley's and she found herself sitting listening quietly as she watched the hustle and bustle that came with the family. She couldn't help but feel like they were a second family to her and she smiled to herself at the various conversations happening around her.

As she glanced around the room, she noticed a certain younger Weasley was absent from the table. Finally, her eyes fell on Ginny who had hidden away in a booth to the side of her family. Pushing herself away from the table as discreetly as possible, she moved over to sit opposite Ginny.

The youngest Weasley looked up from her book at Hermione with a confused expression on her face.

"Something tells me your summer wasn't as great as the rest of your family," she deduced.

Ginny sighed and put her book to one side before examining her surroundings, checking that her family were fully occupied on their own conversations.

"Mum wouldn't let me out of her sight! No matter where I went, she was there," she started. "It was suffocating."

"She cares about you Ginny, you almost died. Not only are you one of her children, which would be heartbreaking in itself but you're her youngest _and _her only daughter. She is no doubt terrified of feeling that way again, feeling like she lost you," Hermione tried to explain, but Ginny shook her head and interrupted.

"'Mione, she doesn't want me to go back to Hogwarts, she wants me to be homeschooled," she whispered.

"What? No, she wouldn't do that… would she?" Hermione suddenly grew concerned for her friend, the thought of not being able to return to Hogwarts was very unsettling.

"Dad is trying to change her mind but he only has three days to convince her," she shrugged and sunk down in her seat.

"I think she will change her mind, things will be different this year. What are the chances of something like this happening again?" Ginny sighed and shrugged once more, she doubted that her mum would change her mind about her decision to not let her return to Hogwarts for her second year.

"Shall we go upstairs, PJ's and snacks in my room?" Hermione asked, causing Ginny to smile and nod. "I'll meet you in my room in ten minutes, I'm just going to say goodnight." Ginny stepped out of the booth and before she could move an inch away from the table, her mother turned to her.

"Where are you going dear?"

Ginny turned to Hermione and rolled her eyes, implying that was the exact behaviour from her mother she had told her about.

"I'm going to bed, I'm going to sleep in Hermione's room tonight. I'll see you in the morning mum," she told her before she turned and headed towards the stairs.

Mrs Weasley sighed and turned to Hermione, "I don't mean to be so controlling, I can see she is getting frustrated with me but I worry."

Hermione shuffled her way out of the booth and now stood in front of her. "I understand why you're so protective Mrs Weasley," she smiled at her and noticed her shoulders immediately relaxed. "I do hope you change your mind about her returning to Hogwarts in a few days. As you know, it's an amazing school and she has the potential to learn a lot, it would be a shame for her to miss out on the education and experience due to something that she had no control over." Hermione added before she hugged Mrs Weasley and excused herself.

Hermione crawled into bed beside Ginny, surrounded by food, they couldn't have been more content and she immediately noticed the difference in Ginny's attitude now that she was away from her family.

"How was your summer then, 'Mione?" Ginny asked as she began shovelling crisps into her mouth. Hermione chuckled as she watched her friend eat in the same manner as her older brothers before she answered.

"It was lovely, thank you. I did some travelling with my parents, nothing as exciting as Egypt though, some studying, naturally, and some shopping. I met up with -" Without realising, she had started to tell her about her time with Draco over the holidays before she stopped herself.

"Met up with who?" Ginny asked noticing Hermione's cheeks turn pink, suddenly interested in what she had to say.

After a few moments of Hermione's silence, Ginny cleared her throat causing her to look up, "Just a friend," Hermione told her.

Ginny smirked as her eyebrows raised in disbelief, "Does this _friend _have a name?"

"Yes, but I won't be telling you who!" Hermione laughed and pulled the duvet further up to hide her face.

"Ok, well I won't push you to tell me his name," Ginny said as she picked up the bag of crisps to continue making her way through them.

"Thank you," Hermine sighed with relief.

"A-HA!" Ginny shouted as she threw the bag down with a grin, "So it's a boy!"

Hermione groaned and pulled the duvet up over her head further, hiding from her friend in hopes the conversation would go away.

"I'm tired, let's go to sleep," she said from beneath the sheets.

"But things just got interesting!" Ginny protested.

"G'night Ginny," she said, causing Ginny to groan in defeat as she removed the food from the bed and switched off the light.

After a few moments of silence and Ginny's restless movements beside her, Hermione started to feel her eyes become heavy.

"This conversation is not over," Ginny mumbled before both girls drifted off to sleep.

~X~

"I'm warning you, Hermione, keep that bloody beast away from Scabbers or I'll turn it into a tea cosy!" Ron said sternly to her whilst holding his pet rat close to his chest.

"He can't help it, Ron, he's a cat! It's in his nature," she said defensively.

"A cat! Is that what they told you? Looks more like a pig with hair if you ask me."

"That's rich coming from the owner of that smelly old shoe brush! That's right Crookshanks, just ignore the mean little boy," she said as she turned into the cat she held firmly in her arms.

"Harry!" Ron said in surprise, causing her to turn.

"Harry! You're here," she grinned at him.

"I see you two are getting along without me," he teased.

Hermione turned back to Ron and scowled before she moved to sit down at the table.

"Are you staying here?" Ron asked Harry as they both moved to sit at the table with Hermione. Ron kept his distance and sat opposite her, aiming a glare at Crookshanks.

"Yes, it's closer to the station for tomorrow. Figured I may as well, I hate staying at the Dursleys," he said and his friends nodded. They understood his disliking towards his Aunt and Uncle, but mostly towards his cousin who took pleasure in making his life at home a misery.

"When did you arrive here?" He asked them both.

"We arrived Saturday, so we've only been here for a couple of nights."

"I arrived on the 28th also. When Ron owled to say he was back from Egypt and having to stay here whilst his house was being fumigated, I asked my mum and dad if I could stay here until school started. They were a little upset they wouldn't get to spend the last few days with me but I said I'd meet up with them today in Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded at her answer before her words clicked and he turned to Ron with a puzzled look, "Your house is being fumigated?"

"Yeah, apparently whilst we were away the garden gnomes moved house and took residency in the Burrow. Mum and Dad had to get some professional to come and get rid of them. Mum wanted them disposed of as quickly as possible, but Dad wanted it done so that the Gnomes wouldn't be harmed, which meant it would take longer. So he got in some old-timer who specialises in capturing and caring for magical creatures." Harry nodded along to Ron's story before he spoke once more.

"How was Egypt?"

Hermione listened to Ron tell Harry all about his adventures from Egypt, a story she had heard several times already. Her eyes were drawn to the stairs when she noticed the familiar long auburn locks that belonged to Ginny sway as she made her way into the lobby.

She had avoided the topic they had discussed the first night she had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Although Ginny had tried to bring it up again, she wasn't sure what to say. She loved the idea of having a close female friend but she wasn't sure if she could entirely trust Ginny. If she told her about her relationship with Draco and she told someone, it could put a stop to it or worse, he could get hurt.

So instead, she figured if she finally sat down and continued the conversation with Ginny, she would lie and tell her the mystery friend was a muggle from her village..

"Not flashing that clipping around again, Ron?" Fred's voice brought Hermione's attention back to the present. She turned to Fred who was shaking his head as he reached over and removed the newspaper Ron had been showing to Harry moments ago,

"I haven't shown anyone!" Ron groaned.

"No, not a soul." George teased,

"Not unless you count Tom-" Fred said.

"Or the day maid-"

"The night maid-"

"The cook-,"

"The bloke who came to fix the toilet-"

"The old chap who came to fumigate the house-"

"And that wizard from Belgium." Fred finished.

The pair sat opposite Ron, on either side of Hermione as they teased their youngest brother.

"How long have you guys been here for?" George asked Harry and Hermione, causing her to frown at him.

"I arrived last night," Harry answered.

"And I arrived on Saturday when you did! I've been here with you the whole time, George!"

"My apologies, you shouldn't have stayed so hidden then," George said as he held up his hands.

"She doesn't look the same that's why Georgie, there's something different about her."

"It's the hair, it's less Lion's mane more.. squirrels tail."

Hermione slapped George on the shoulder whilst he chuckled at her, rubbing his hand over his shoulder where she hit him. She scowled and turned away from him.

"Have you seen the Firebolt is on display in Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"No! But I think we should go there first today, are you guys going into the Alley?" George asked. Hermione immediately tuned out the conversation, completely uninterested where Quidditch was concerned.

"Ignore my brother, I think your hair looks nice." Fred whispered so that only Hermione heard. She felt a blush creep along her cheeks as she turned to whisper her thanks. He nodded with a smile and turned back to the conversation at hand.

"Let's get ready to go then," Ron announced, making the rest of the group stand up from the table.

"I'm going to find Ginny, we'll meet you there." Hermione told them. The thought of tagging along whilst they stood ogling over a broom and talking Quidditch was _not_ how she wanted to spend her afternoon in Diagon Alley.

"I hate to break it to you, Mione but Ginnys going to want to come to Quality Quidditch Supplies too," Ron said sympathetically,

"Fine. Let me just put Crookshanks in my room, I won't be long." She sighed and made her way upstairs.

Once she arrived at her room, she placed her feline friend down on her bed before she heard a tapping on her window. Upon opening it, she discovered the familiar owl that belong to Draco, holding a letter in his mouth.

_Meet me at our place tomorrow after everyone has gone to bed, feel free to bring the mask. _

Hermione giggled to herself as she read his words. She did still have his mask from the night he met her after his Masquerade Party but she knew he was only teasing her about wearing it as she had asked him to wear it for their meetup. Shaking her head she placed the letter in her trunk and closed it shut before she left the room to join the others into Diagon Alley.

~X~

"Welcome everybody, to another year at Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore spoke loudly to a hall full of students, all waiting eagerly for the start of the year feast.

"Now, I would like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I am pleased to welcome Professor R.J Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Good luck, Professor." He finished and held out his hand as Professor Lupin rose from his seat, students across the hall applauded at the news.

"Potter," Draco whispered harshly over the sound of clapping, causing Harry to turn in his seat to face him. "Is it true you fainted? _Actually_ fainted?"

Blaise sat beside Draco, sniggering as he pretended to faint against him.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron snapped, glaring at Draco and turned Harry to face away from the Slytherin duo.

"How did he find out?" Harry whispered to his friends, Ron shrugged beside him.

"Just ignore him, Harry." Hermione said, looking past her friends to Draco who hadn't yet turned around from his seat. He moved his eyes from the back of Harry's head and caught Hermione's who scowled at him. He knew her well enough to know it wasn't genuine and he smirked at her attempts to be angry with him. He gave her a wink before he turned back to his table but not before noticing the blush that danced across her cheeks.

"Ahh, it sure is good to be back," Blaise said. Theo gave a small laugh through his nose from across the table and shook his head at his friends.

"Back to tormenting Potter and Weasel, you mean?" He asked Blaise, who nodded with an unusually large grin on his face.

"So Draco, is there going to be anything as exciting as last year?" Pansy asked, her voice bringing the tone down a little as she did. Blaise turned to Draco, along with the rest of the Slytherins surrounding them, waiting eagerly for his reply.

"Not that I'm aware of I'm afraid. Father seems a little more preoccupied with the escapee from Azkaban."

Disappointed faces surrounded him and he took the opportunity of silence to turn away and look back towards Professor Dumbledore, who was finishing his speech and announcing the start of the feast.

~X~

Draco sat by the window in his family's secret room, waiting patiently for Hermione to arrive. He had told her to meet him after everyone had gone off to bed, which he now regretted not specifying a time as he felt like he had been waiting for hours.

The veil leading into the room moved slightly and Draco's eyes snapped to the entrance where Hermione stood panting and looking very flustered. His heart skipped a little at the sight before him and his stomach flipped as he stood and moved towards her.

"What on earth happened to you?" he asked whilst she tried to catch her breath. He chuckled slightly as he moved a curl that had fallen out of her bun on top of her head and pushed it behind her ear. Her cheeks burned a little brighter than when she first entered.

Hermione cleared her throat and composed herself before she finally answered his question. "On my way here I heard some noises coming from a supply cupboard," she said as she began walking over to the window seat.

"I couldn't quite figure out what the noises were and then I heard a crash so I went to make sure everything was ok and then..." The blush that had settled down slowly crept back across her face, causing Draco to smirk. He had a sneaky suspicion of what she had found in that cupboard, given the colour of her cheeks.

"Who did you see kissing?" He asked, trying not to laugh at how embarrassed she was getting.

"Your friends, Theo and Daphne!" she answered whilst hiding behind her hands.

"Did they see you?" He couldn't hide his laughter anymore, causing her to smile behind her hands.

"Yes! She was so angry, she started yelling at me, so I ran all the way here." she giggled and Draco laughed along with her as he reached forward to remove her hands from her face.

Hermione found herself calming down from her laughter as she looked up into Draco's eyes and only then did she realise how close they had positioned themselves on the seat. For the first time since she became friends with him, she was suddenly very aware of their close proximity and how it made her feel. Where usually it wouldn't have fazed her, she now noticed it very much.

"It'll be fine, she was probably just embarrassed," He laughed once more before he moved to sit with his back against the window. Hermione took this opportunity to let out the breath she had been holding once she noticed how close he was to her.

"Did you know about them? That they were a... thing?" She asked, moving to sit opposite stretched her feet out beside him and he lifted them up onto his lap, something he had done so many times before and yet, she suddenly felt shy by the familiar notion.

"No I didn't, but it doesn't surprise me either. He's been trying for a while but she never seemed interested. Makes me wonder if something happened at the Masquerade Party at my house over the summer. They could've gotten up to anything when I left to meet you."

"I still can't believe I walked in on them," she laughed and shook her head, still embarrassed by the situation.

"It won't be the first time, the older we get, the more people you'll find like that."

"No thanks, I'm happy with this being the last time."

"Who knows, one day it could be you in a supply cupboard getting walked in on," he teased, causing Hermione's entire face to turn red.

"Do you always blush so hard or is it just me that causes that?"

"I blush easily," she answered, causing Draco's smile to fall slightly. "But I do have a tendency to blush a lot more around you," she added, and his smirk returned once more.

"It's good to be back," he told her and placed his hand on her leg casually. She nodded in agreement before they both turned and looked out of the window together. She really was happy to be back in her favourite place, with one of her favourite people.

After a few moments, Hermione yawned, having forgotten about how late it was and she rose from her seat.

"You're leaving already?" Draco asked sadly.

"I'm pretty tired,"

"Stay here? Wouldn't be the first time," he suggested, and before she had a chance to reply he was up and grabbing a blanket off of the sofa. He turned back to her giving her his irresistible Malfoy smile.

"Fine, but only if you read to me like you used to," she said as she kicked off her shoes and took off her robe before she jumped back on the seat.

He leaned over and grabbed the closest book, moving quickly towards the window seat to join her. He watched as she fidgeted opposite him, trying to get herself comfy and waited until she had finished before commenting.

"Are you quite done?" he raised his eyebrow at her and she smiled sheepishly at him.

"Good, now quit being weird and come over where you usually sleep when we're in here," he told her.

Hermione grinned before she crawled towards him, repositioning herself so that she was lying beside him and curled up, resting her head against his chest.

"Better?" he asked.

He felt her nod against his chest and began to read to her until she fell asleep, following not far behind.

~X~

"Now, who'd like te come an say 'ello?" Hargid asked as he turned his back towards his class.

At the start of term, Dumbledore had announced to the school that their previous Groundskeeper had been promoted to Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, news that hadn't pleased every student at Hogwarts.

Blaise sat on a rock, his face filled with disgust as he observed the rest of the students in his class step back in response to Hagrid's question, leaving Harry alone at the front.

"Well done 'Arry!" Hagrid boomed as he watched a nervous Harry turn behind him, noticing now that everyone had moved. Blaise rolled his eyes at Draco who stood beside him.

"Surprise surprise, Saint Potter looking brave as always," Draco said quietly to his friend.

"When in fact he's just an idiot," Blaise sniggered.

Draco pushed his way through the crowd to get a better look at what was happening at the front of the class. He turned slightly to his left and noticed Hermione staring intently at Harry, a look of concern splashed across her face. He watched as the cool summer breeze moved her curls away from her face, the sun reflecting off of her eyes in the way he'd grown so fond of. The sleeves of her shirt were rolled up to her elbows with the bottom untucked from her skirt which, he noted, sat further above the knee then it had done in previous years.

"Come on 'Arry," Hagrid's voice brought Draco back to the lesson as he turned back to face Harry.

"Now, ye have te let him make the first move," Hagrid told him, Draco watched Harry's hesitant footsteps as he moved closer towards the Hippogriff.

"Step up an give 'im a nice bow, then wait and see if he bows back," Hagrid told him, "if he does, ye can go an touch 'im, if not.. well we'll deal with that later."

The entire class inhaled in unison as the Hippogriff before them let out an almighty squawk as it flapped its wings and stared down at a bowing Harry.

"Back off 'Arry, back off," Hagrid urged.

Draco rolled his eyes at the dramatic scene in front of him. His eyes moved back to Hermione as he heard a branch snap beneath Harry's foot and his eyes flickered towards her hand that immediately reached for Ron's arm. He couldn't shake the jealous feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched her. Trying to ignore it, he moved his gaze back to Harry who was now making his way towards the Hippogriff with his arm stretched out.

As Harry moved closer, the Hippogriff snapped its beak in protest, the first snap caused Hermione to reached for Ron once more, her hand gripped his almost as quickly as she let go. Embarrassed by what she had just done, she immediately moved her hands and folded her arms across her stomach as a light blush covered her cheeks.

Draco scowled at the pair, he wasn't fully sure why but the idea of Hermione holding hands with Ron made him feel very unsettled. Deciding he'd seen enough, he huffed and move towards the back of the crowd, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, to join the rest of the Slytherins. Within a few short moments he heard commotion behind him - he didn't have to turn to know that Harry had taken off into the sky on the Hippogriff.

"Can you believe Saint Potter, loves to show off doesn't he," Blaise said as Draco rejoined the group.

"Does it surprise you that Golden boy was chosen and yet again had a chance to show off his amazingness?" Pansy whined as she moved closer to Draco.

"What's the matter Drakey, you look annoyed," Pansy asked, causing the Slytherin group to notice the scowl on his face.

"Nothing, Potty's undeserved fame grates on me sometimes, that's all," he lied. She nodded, satisfied with his answer and moved to sit beside him.

"Right, everyone else, turn te page thirty-four an we will begin the lesson," Hagrid told the students, all of which moved to get more comfortable and take seats on the grass.

Draco perched on top of a large rock, looking down on Hermione who was sat cross-legged facing towards Ron. Shaking his head he turned back to his book, trying to push the thought of her sitting the Ron out of his mind.

Almost an hour passed before the class heard the familiar flap of the Hippogriff wings.. Draco had the most unproductive lesson he'd had in a long time as he spent the majority of it watching Hermione. He noticed how her face lit up whenever Ron tried to cast a spell and failed. It was clear to see the admiration she had towards him, it was written plainly across her face.

Draco scrunched his nose in disgust as he spotted Hermione playfully shoving Ron in the shoulder after something he'd said.

"My my, not jealous are we?" Blaise said quietly over Draco's shoulder. He turned back to his book and shook his head, letting out a deep sigh before he answered Blaise.

"Not at all," was all he could muster up as a response as he aimlessly flipped through pages without paying attention to what was on them.

"What? No witty response? No sarcastic remark? You're losing your touch Draco," Blaise said with a smirk on his face. "It's no wonder she would be more interested in Potty or Weasel."

Draco felt a familiar flame brewing inside of him as he turned towards Blaise. Before he had chance to react, the sound of large hoofs touching down on the floor brought their attention to the front of the class.

"Well done 'Arry!" Hagrid clapped as the Hippogriff trotted forward to him. After helping Harry off the creature, he threw a smaller animal towards it as a reward for his good behaviour.

Draco spotted his professor pulling Harry to one side, leaving the Hippogriff unattended and an opportunity to prove himself in the eye of Blaise at the very least.

"Losing my touch?" Draco said to his friend who remained seated as he rose from the rock, Blaise's smirk grew wider.

Draco pushed his way through the crowd, passing the disgruntled students and made his way towards the opening where the Hippogriff stood.

"You're not dangerous at all are you, you great ugly brute," he snarled as he walked closer to the creature.

Before he had time to react, the Hippogriff stood tall on his hind legs, wings stretched out magnificently. The force of its wings moving frantically nearly knocked him off of his feet and Draco craned his neck to get a better instantly filled with regret once he caught eyes with it and the loud squawk rang through his ears. He threw up his arms to shield his face when the Hippogriff reached out and clawed at him.

Draco rolled around on the floor, holding onto the arm that had just been clawed yelling in pain. Hagrid paled as he rushed over to Draco's side, his arms fidgeted once he looked down at Draco's pained face and back up to Harry.

"Hagrid, you have to take him to the hospital wing!" Hermione shouted, moving quickly to stand beside Harry and get a better look at Draco on the floor.

The half-giant mumbled under his breath as he bent over and picked Draco's body up off the floor effortlessly. He turned to Hermione and Harry with Draco in his arms and gave them a nod as he walked back through the forest towards the castle.

"Class dismissed," was all he said before he moved completely out of sight.

**Author Note:**

Hey everyone! Thanks for keeping at it with my story, I hope everyone's still enjoying it and sorry for the late update. I'm so excited to be writing about the third year, I've waited for this moment for what feels like a long time!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	21. Twenty One

_1993 Third Year_

"It's becoming a tradition of ours for at least one of us to end up here each year," Hermione commented as she stood by Draco's bed in the hospital wing.

He had been told that his injuries didn't warrant him staying the night, but he still hadn't been discharged after his dose of Calming Draught. Hermione noted it must've been a heavy amount as he became quite lucid.

"It seems to be the only way I can spend time with you outside of our room," he slurred at her.

She laughed through her nose and shook her head as she smiled down at him. "I don't think it's healthy to resort to hospitalizing yourself in order to spend more time with me, Draco."

"We could always find a supply cupboard," he joked, causing Hermione to swat his non-injured arm gently as she blushed furiously.

"And there's that blush again," his head fell back onto his pillow as he spoke, his eyes becoming heavy. "I love how easily you blush but I hate how I'm not the only one who causes you to."

Hermione's face fell a fraction at his words and although he couldn't see her face through his closed eyes, he sensed her mood deteriorate.

"I don't mean to put a damper on this. I suppose I'm just jealous."

Her eyebrows furrowed together and she looked down at her fidgeting hands before she responded. "I've said it once before, I blush very easily. I wear my emotions on my face for everyone to see and I hate that but I never blush as hard as I do when I'm with you. It's almost like you do it for fun," she scowled as he chuckled at her, the noise only confirming what she had suggested.

After a few moments of silence, she noticed his breathing becoming heavier and even as he drifted off to sleep. She pulled the thin quilt up further and tucked him in slightly, admiring his calm disposition once more before she left.

'_We could always find a supply cupboard.' _She replayed Draco's words back over in her head.

_Was he implying that he wanted to be in a supply cupboard with me? _She thought to herself.

She could feel the familiar burning in her cheeks at the idea of being in a similar situation as she had found Theo and Daphne with Draco, mentally kicking herself for blushing once more. She shook her head of the thoughts of supply cupboards and boys, and focused on her journey back to the common room. She reminded herself that Draco would likely forget about their conversation when he woke up and she needn't worry about feeling embarrassed again.

~X~

The following morning after the incident with Draco and Buckbeak, Hermione walked into the great hall in search of Harry and Ron. Spotting them from across the room, seated with the rest of the Weasleys, she made her way towards them. However, the sounds of a familiar shrill voice stopped her in her tracks as she turned to find the culprit.

"Does it hurt Drakey?" Pansy asked as she pawed over him with a sickening amount of concern.

'_Drakey.' _Hermione cringed, a small smirk appearing on her face as she thought how she would tease him about the pet name later.

"It comes and goes," he shrugged her off and turned back to his plate of food.

"I still can't believe you waltzed over to a Hippogriff and thought you would come out unscathed," Theo chuckled, earning himself a scowl from his friend. "Why _did_ you do that again?"

"He was trying to prove to me that he hadn't lost his touch," Blaise smirked as he interjected.

"Yes well, that's the last time I get coaxed into doing something to prove you wrong," Draco mumbled to himself, looking down at his bandaged arm.

"Hey, I didn't tell you to go charging towards that beast, you did that all by yourself."

"Always full of bright ideas aren't you Draco," Theo chuckled.

"Suppose next time I'll just prove myself by stealing something interesting from a supply cupboard, who knows what I'd find in there," he sneered at Theo, who gave a half-smile in return.

The remaining Slytherins stood from the table after finishing their breakfast and made their way towards the exit of the great hall. Draco trailed at the back of the group, trying to avoid Pansy at all costs.

"It's amazing," Theo startled Draco as they walked through the doors of the hall into the corridor.

"What's amazing, Theo?" He asked, unenthusiastically.

"How your mind went to a supply cupboard. I can only imagine why." Theo gave him a knowing look before he quickened his pace and joined the rest of the group.

Draco came to a stop when he realised that by making the comment he did, he had implicated himself in the process. The only person that had known about Theo's supply cupboard antics with Daphne was Hermione, so for him to know also, that would've meant she had to have told him.

~X~

"Hermione it's your birthday, you have to let me get you _something_," Draco whined as the pair sat in front of the fire in their secret room.

"I have to do no such thing," she responded with all seriousness in her tone. "It would be completely unnecessary. I don't care much for my birthday and anything you would get me would be insanely overpriced. I can't imagine you are capable of getting a small gift."

Draco snorted and squeezed the bottom of her legs that draped over his own as he sat upright on the sofa with her laid across it beside him.

"Are Potty and Weasel allowed to buy you a gift?"

"Let's be realistic, they won't be getting me anything even if I didn't have an issue with it."

Draco shook his head at her answer, as far as he was concerned, she was being impossible.

"Why are you so determined to buy me a gift anyway?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Because you're my friend and I should be allowed to," he huffed, folding his arms across his chest and wincing slightly as he knocked his still sore arm.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let's change the subject. Is your father going to get involved with the incident that happened with Buckbeak?"

"I see you opted for a more cheerful topic of conversation," he chucked before his face fell as he thought over his answer. "To be blunt, yes. He was furious, I've never seen him that angry before. He stormed out of Dumbledore's office without even saying goodbye to me, all he said before he left was that Dumbledore hadn't heard the last of this."

Hermione's stomach turned at the thought of Lucius raging in Dumbledore's office. She had seen and heard enough of Draco's father to fear him and what he was capable of.

"What do you think he will do?"

"I don't know, but I know whatever it is, it can't be good," he answered with his eyes fixed on the fire in front of him whilst he played with the hem along one of Hermione's socks.

"Why did you do it? Did you not listen when Hagrid warned us of how proud Hippogriff's are? How delicate we have to be when approaching one?"

"Of course I did!" he said defensively. "Blaise made a comment about how I'd lost my touch. He could see… well, he thought I'd gone soft and I don't know, something came over me and I felt like I had to prove myself."

"Well done, you proved you fold under peer pressure and got yourself hurt in the process."

Draco looked at her blankly and removed her legs from his before he stood up and walked closer to the fire, leaning against the frame of the fireplace before he spoke once more.

"I didn't fold under peer pressure, I simply felt the need to prove him wrong. As I have done every time he's mentioned you," he snapped, refusing to look at her as he spoke.

"Wait… I was mentioned? How? In what way?"

"Does it matter?" He asked, now turning to face her. Hermione moved her legs off the sofa and stood, slowly walking towards him.

"Yes it does Draco, because you failed to mention earlier that I was the topic of conversation and the reason why you confronted a wild animal that mauled you!"

He could sense that she was losing her patience with him and, rather than argue, he sighed before he told her the truth.

"He asked me if I was getting jealous, right after he spotted me looking over at you and Weasel. I told him no and he accused me of losing my touch because I didn't respond in a way that he considered _normal_ for me, then announced it to the group. It was either that or confront you, which would you have preferred?"

His explanation followed by his question made her pale. Overwhelmed with confusion, she scrunched her eyebrows together, trying to piece everything together.

"I don't understand, why would you be jealous?"

"I wasn't."

"Ok, but why did Blaise _think _you would be jealous?"

"I don't know, maybe because he thinks I like you and wouldn't like you _flirting_ with the Weasel!" he snapped, causing her cheeks to burn at his outburst.

For a few moments, she stood in silence as she watched him fidget uncomfortably on the spot, unsure of what to say. She opened her mouth a few times to respond but when she failed to form words, she closed it once more. Finally, she swallowed thickly before clearing her throat and broke the silence.

"I wasn't flirting with Ron. He's one of my closest friends, I don't have siblings so he and Harry are the closest thing I have to that." She explained slowly, "I don't see why it would be an issue unless what Blaise said was true?"

"He was just winding me up," he dodged the question, not wanting to answer it just yet. The truth was Draco didn't know what he felt. He just knew that whenever he saw her with Ron, it touched a nerve he didn't know he had.

"Well, there's nothing to worry about. So stop being a drama queen and come sit back down." She gave him a small smile before she grabbed his hand and led him back to the sofa before they resumed their previous positions.

"By the way, there's something I've been meaning to talking to you about," Hermione said. Draco looked concerned as he nodded at her, gesturing for her to continue.

"Harry's fear of dementors is justified."

He relaxed once more and chuckled, shaking his head before he turned back the hem of her sock as he started to play with it again.

"I'm being serious Draco, I know you don't like him but he has a reason to fear them. We all do, they're not nice creatures by nature, hence their position at Azkaban."

"It's just something to tease him about, I told you we would never be friends and that's not going to change just because you and I are. So the fact that he fainted-"

"He didn't faint. Do you know what a dementors kiss is?"

He turned cold at the words, his smile wiped from his face before he turned back to her and spoke.

"Sort of, I know they say it's a fate worse than death."

"Dementors don't cause any harm to your body physically, they simply remove your soul. You remain alive in a soulless body, so yes, a kiss is a fate worse than death. They do this by bringing the worst memory you have to the forefront of your mind. In Harry's case it's his parents dying, only he doesn't actually remember this happening because he was only a child, but he was there when it happened so it's somewhere in his subconscious. When the dementors get close to Harry for some reason they start performing the kiss. We haven't quite figured out why, but when they do, as they did on the train, he hears it. He hears his mother's scream ringing through his ears."

Draco paled as he listened to Hermione, her explanation caused goosebumps to form over his entire body. She paused for a moment to catch her breath before she continued.

"So when you laughed at the fact that he _fainted,_ when you teased him in forest during Hagrid's lesson, and when you laughed during our DADA lesson with the boggart... you're actually laughing at the fact that a dementor tried to take away his soul, that it forced him to think about his mother's death."

He stared at her, speechless, unable to respond to what she had just told him. Eventually, he broke away from her gaze and turned back to the fire that was starting to dim. Both of their eyes flickered to the nervous flame.

"What do you think they'd say? If they knew we were friends?" He asked her whilst keeping his head down.

"Harry and Ron?" He nodded in response. "I don't know actually. I don't think they'd be happy. There's no love lost between you three, but it has nothing to do with them."

He hummed in agreement. He disliked them as much, if not more, than they did him - that was no secret.

"I imagine they would give you some long spiel about how I'm a bad person and you shouldn't trust me," he said with a false smile on his lips.

"They don't know you. Not the real you. You're not a bad person Draco, you've just been brought up differently, on different beliefs."

He nodded in response, unsure as to whether he believed her himself, unsure as to whether he was a good person or not. She could sense the shift in his mood, he had gone from being mildly irritated that she wouldn't allow him to buy her a gift, to dwelling on the situation of their secret friendship. She understood that he struggled from time to time with their secret friendship, but there was nothing either of them could do about it.

"Don't be sad, _Drakey_." She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing when Draco spun his head to the side to glare at her.

"Please don't call me that," he whined and she couldn't contain the laughter any longer.

"Why not? I think it's sweet, Drakey suits you," she said between fits of laughter.

Within seconds he pulled at her legs so that her back was against the cushion rather than the arm of the chair. It gave him an advantage as he launched himself forward, pinning her beneath him using his body weight. Her smile fell and her cheeks turned the familiar shade of pink he had grown accustomed to as she looked up at him wide-eyed. Her arms were restrained above her head, causing her to be unable to push him from her.

"Are you ticklish, Hermione?" A look of panic washed over her before she answered, indicating that no matter what she said, she definitely was.

"Not at all," her voice squeaked slightly.

He presented her with his trademark smirk before he quickly moved his hands to her sides and tickled her. She thrashed around beneath him, her arms moved rapidly as she tried and failed to deflect his hands whilst her laughter echoed through the room.

After a few failed attempts and her pleading for him to stop he finally moved his hands away from her sides. He kept one on her raised knee and moved the other to the back of the sofa as he sat back slightly and stared down at her. He smiled as he watched her pant and try to regain her breath.

"I did warn you," he chuckled and she scowled at him.

"Message received," she said once she managed to steady her breathing. Her eyes moved towards the hand he still had placed on her knee, suddenly aware of the fire it ignited as it rested against her skin. She moved to look back and Draco and noticed he wore an expression she hadn't seen before. There was something in his eyes that she didn't quite recognise, almost like he was trying to tell her something without using his words.

After a moment of laying in silence under his intense gaze, she decided to speak up before It consumed her.

"How about I read to you tonight? You always read to me as I fall asleep. I think it's your turn."

Liking the idea, he pushed himself back, slowly removing the tie he had previously loosened from around his neck and watched as Hermione searched for a book to read. He waited on his knees at the far end of the sofa for her to get comfortable so that he could gauge where he too was going to position himself for the night.

Once she laid down and propped her head up with the cushions, he took advantage of the small gap she had left between herself and the back of the sofa. He slid in beside her and rested his head on her stomach whilst his arm lay across her waist.

Hermione was thankful he was laying so that he couldn't see her face as she bit down on her lip, trying to act casual. Usually when she slept she curled up to him, but this felt different, _she_ felt different. His proximity was causing butterflies to flip and twist around in her stomach and she was slightly concerned to read in case her voice gave her away.

_Get a grip Hermione! _She said to herself before she picked up the book. Before she started to read he spoke, his voice vibrated on her stomach and sent shivers through her.

"Do you think it'll ever be easier, us being friends?" He asked her, still keeping his head rested on her middle. She moved her arm so that it lay gently over his back as she drew light circles on his shoulder whilst she thought over the answer to his question.

"I'd like to think that in a few years, it will be less difficult. Yet, or at least by the time we leave this place, there will be no more prejudice against Muggleborns and it will be socially acceptable for you to be friends with me."

"That's a long time away."

"Then let's hope it happens sooner. I believe it will, things can only get better can't they?"

He hummed in response, not wanting to diminish her hopes. He knew differently. He knew from the meetings he attended with his father that the former death eaters were getting more and more frustrated with their lack of success in bringing back Voldemort. If they didn't figure out a way soon, something terrible was going to happen. Either scenario didn't bode well for Draco's friendship with Hermione and that aided his glum mood whenever he thought too hard about their friendship.

"Anyway, shush, it's my time to read," she told him and he chuckled against her stomach as he snuggled down further.

Hermione opened the book once more and began to read. Without realising, the hand she had been using to run circles on his shoulder moved up to his hair. She began to stroke the pale locks softly until he fell asleep, to which she quickly followed.

~X~

"Here she is, it's the birthday girl!" Ginny squealed as Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room on September the 19th.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," Harry said to her as he walked over and gave her a hug. She hugged him back tightly and thanked him before shaking her head.

"I don't do birthdays so can we please go to breakfast?"

Ron nodded quickly in agreement and stood up to head out of the room."I don't understand why you don't like your birthday Mione, it's a day that gets to be all about you."

"Exactly Ronald, I don't like to be the centre of attention."

Ron accepted her reasoning and shrugged as they walked through the portrait. A crowd of Gryffindor's walked behind them as they all made their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I don't see why I wasn't allowed to buy you a gift," Ginny sighed as she sat down next to Hermione in the great hall.

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, "Urg, not you too!"

"Me too?" Ginny asked as she raised one of her eyebrows at her.

Hermione's eyes shot towards Ginny in a moment of panic, racking her brain for a speedy recovery. "My parents - I tried to tell them not to get me anything either."

"Hmmm, and did _they _listen?" Ginny asked, smirking at Hermione as she attempted to keep up her cover.

"I sure hope so."

As if on cue, the sound of owls filled the hall as they flew down low to drop off their morning post. In front of Hermione landed two parcels along with a letter that she could only assume were from her parents.

Transfixed on his breakfast, Ron didn't notice the parcels that lay before Hermione. Harry, however, was a little more interested to see what she had been given.

"Open them then," he promoted his friend, who sighed and shook her head as she put down the letter she had been reading from her parents, wishing her a happy birthday.

Moving to the large parcel first, she picked up the tag that hung from the side and read the label to herself.

_To our darling daughter, we know how much you miss these things when you're not here so we thought of a way you could enjoy them at school too! _

She opened the large parcel to find a hamper of all the things she loved from back home. She reached for a photo of herself and her parents. It was taken at Christmas almost seven years ago, before Hermione knew she was a witch. It was her favourite photo of her parents. She always loved how happy they both were and the romantic in her couldn't help but adore the way they looked at each other as their child opened her Christmas presents.

"It's broke," Ron said as he looked at the unmoving photo.

"It's not broken Ron, that's how muggle photos look," Harry told him. "They don't move."

Ron pulled his face at the unmoving photo of her and her parents before he turned back to his plate of food.

After sifting through the remainder of the box, Hermione turned to the next parcel. She turned the neatly wrapped parcel in her hands a few times, trying to find a label or even some kind of hint as to who it could be from but there was nothing. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and she began to tear away the paper carefully, the suspense getting to the better of Ginny as she leaned in closely to see what was inside.

"What is it 'Mione?" Ron asked as he swallowed his last mouthful of food.

"A book of some sort."

"An old one by the looks of it," Ginny added.

Hermione was presented with the back of a thick leather book that looked worn at the edges. It was bound together tightly at the spine with rope that looked tattered, almost as if someone loosened the spine over time to add more pages. She turned the book slightly to inspect the spine to discover she was right. There were clear signs of fresher pages, even possible removal of pages and finally, she turned the book over and gasped as she read the title.

_Hogwarts: A History by Bathilda Bagshot _

She noted in the bottom right hand corner read the date '13 September 1984'. For a moment she sat in complete awe at the book in front of her, unable to speak, respond to questions she was being asked, or even acknowledge them.

"What is it?" Ron asked with a confused look on his face as he noticed Hermione was frozen in shock.

"I think it's _Hogwarts: A History_, but it looks a bit shabby," Ginny responded whilst twisting her neck to get a better look at the book Hermione gripped tightly in her hands.

"Earth to Hermione? Hello?" Harry spoke more loudly to her, eventually getting through as her eyes blinked and she shook her head.

"It's a first edition.. maybe _the_ first edition," she whispered. Her hand moved shakily to turn the cover of the book. She was presented with a small passage in the middle of the first page. It read;

_If you're reading this, you're lucky enough to be in possession of my discoverings when writing Hogwarts: A History. In here, you will find every detail of my thoughts when writing this book. It includes everything that didn't make the final cut because the publishers 'didn't think it was appropriate', along with every opinion I had through the years of my learning about Hogwarts. Enjoy._

"It's... it's Bathilda's... it's all of her notes," she said as she delicately flicked through the pages. "It's all of her ideas, her thought process when she was writing the book..." her voice turned into a whisper.

"Who gave you this?" Ginny asked.

Hermione couldn't tear her eyes away from the book as she shrugged in response.

"Whoever it was must know you very well to get you the first ever copy of your favourite book," Harry commented. Hermione nodded before she closed the book and stroked her hand softly over the cover, tears pricking in her eyes.

"I'm going to go put my gifts in my room before class." She finally looked up at her friends before she pushed herself away from the table.

She couldn't remember the walk to the Gryffindor common room. She was in such a daze with her new book that she was on autopilot right up to her dorm. Hermione took advantage of her quiet surroundings to admire her book once more, slowly flicking through the pages. Each one was filled with notes and ideas the author had written before, during, and after writing the book. Overwhelmed with emotion she couldn't help but let out the tears that had been building up in her , she closed the book and put it down to the side of her.

She emptied the contents of the box her parents had gifted to her onto her bed and placed the book inside it, then slid it under her bed. She then placed the photos of her family on her bedside table and smiled down at it once more before she left her room for her Monday morning classes.

**Author Notes:**

Disclaimer - I do not own the world of Harry Potter, I wish I did, but I don't.

MASSIVE shout out to KoraKunkel for being the best beta!


	22. Twenty Two

_1993 Third Year_

Hermione stood at the top of the owlery holding the letter she had written to her parents in her hand as she lent against the side of a wall overlooking the grounds.

The sun had begun to set on her birthday and she couldn't have been more thankful. Other than spending the morning with her gifts and the occasional birthday wish throughout the day, she'd had an otherwise normal day.

Around supper time, Ginny had suggested that the group had a small celebration for Hermione's birthday back in the common room, to which she declined and told her she wanted to write to her parents and do some studying. When in fact, all she really wanted to do was escape to her and Draco's room and thank him for her gift.

The first part however, had been true. She wrote a letter to her parents thanking them for their lovely gifts and told them about the reaction her picture gained from a few of her friends who had never witnessed muggle photos before. She then told them about the gift Draco had gotten her, although for her father's sanity, she left out the part where the gift had come from a boy.

In truth, Hermione used to enjoy celebrating her birthday with her family where they would go for a traditional meal at the small Italian restaurant in the village, followed by a small fire in the backyard with Hot Chocolates and blankets, finally finishing with pyjamas and a film before she fell asleep on the sofa tucked up to her mum. They didn't make a huge fuss or force her to do something she didn't want and she appreciated that, she always did hate having a fuss made over her.

That fact still remained the same however, now she spent her birthdays away from her parents, they were just a reminder of how she used to celebrate it, how ordinary things were before she started attending Hogwarts. She would forever be grateful for the time she spent at Hogwarts but it didn't change the fact that she felt homesick on occasions like this.

So instead she decided she would rather her birthday go unnoticed so she could avoid the homesick pit that formed in her stomach, although that wasn't always entirely avoidable.

She glanced down at the letter in her hands, trying to ignore the longing she felt to see her parents after only being away for a few short weeks and simply hoped one year she would instead find it normal to celebrate it without them.

Finally she held out her palm to the nearest owl and presented him with a treat. Hesitantly, the owl took the treat as he scuttered his feet slightly to move closer to her and opened his beak a fraction for her to place the letter inside.

Patting the owl gently on his head, she thanked him and smiled as she watched his wings slowly expand before he took off into the distance, soaring through the sky. She sighed at the scene before her and looked towards the distance once more, the sun had set, leaving behind beautiful shades of pink and orange in its absence.

As she climbed down the stairs and made her way slowly and discreetly through the castle, Hermione pondered over the thought process behind Draco's gift.

The pair had been friends since first year, they'd had their troubles and quarrels, but they were now stronger than ever. She spent time with him most nights and had conversations with him she hadn't dreamed of having with anybody else. However, she spent every day with Harry and Ron, the evenings she wasn't with Draco she had been with them, most of her free time during the day and even days through her holidays she spent solely with them, they were her family and they meant the world to her, and yet, Hermione was fully confident that neither of her best friends could have thought up a more perfect gift than the one Draco had given her.

_What makes the friendships different?_ She thought to herself as she absentmindedly turned the corner leading to the corridor her destination was on.

As she reached the entrance to their room she realised she had been travelling on autopilot the entire way there and hadn't actually registered any of her journey. Without a second glance she walked forward past the veil and entered the room, not realising the set of eyes that were on her as she disappeared behind what appeared to be a brick wall to the observer, leaving them confused.

"Draco?" Hermione called as she walked further into the room, discarding her robe and hanging it over a chair. Before she had a chance to further examine the room for her friend she felt two hands on her shoulder and the noise of a loud bang rang through her ears. Turning quickly to shove the culprit, she scowled as she spotted Draco clenching his tomach whilst laughing hysterically at her.

"Your face…" he said through fits of laughter.

Hermione stood cold faced with her arms folded, but not before long she couldn't help relax into a smile at the site before her. This was her favourite Draco, the playful carefree boy she had become friends with, it was a side of him very few people had seen.

"You're not supposed to be mean to me on my birthday."

"If I remember rightly, you don't like to celebrate it, so I see no reason to treat you any differently."

She scowled through her smile and stuck out her tongue at him. She wasn't sure why he was in such a good mood, but she was enjoying it.

Draco finally stopped laughing and moved forward towards her, stopping just a few feet away. She looked up at his face that wore a small smile with bright playful eyes to match as he looked down on her.

"Am I allowed to wish you a Happy Birthday?" He asked softly.

"I think you've done enough," she told him. His mouth twisted slightly before a small fraction of his bottom lip found its way between his teeth as he tried to gage Hermione's reaction to his gift. Her eyes darted to the lip that was trapped and she felt her breath quicken. Suddenly realising that she was staring at his mouth, she forced herself to speak once more and break from his gaze.

"Thankyou for my gift. It's quite possibly the nicest thing anyone has done for me, and probably ever will, but you really didn't have to."

Draco relaxed at her words, freeing his lip and dropping his once tense shoulders back down, he smirked at her and shook his head.

"You're my best friend, of course I had to."

"I told you not to get me anything."

"Ah!" He all but shouted at her with a smug look on his face, "you told me not to buy you anything because I didn't know the meaning of a 'small gift', well - I didn't buy you this gift!" He let out a small laugh before he grabbed her hand and turned towards the window, pulling her along with him.

He sat down in the middle of the seat and faced her, Hermione remained very aware of the fact that he hadn't let go of her hand.

"Ok, so if you didn't buy this gift, how did you acquire it?"

"I discovered it a few years back in our library. I think father 'confiscated' it on one of his many…" he paused for a moment, not wanting to fully disclose everything that his father got up to, not because he didn't trust her, but because he didn't want to burden her with every dark secret he kept about his family. "Raids with work." he continued.

"And I'm okay to keep it? Won't they notice its gone?"

"They haven't stepped foot in that library for years, they won't notice a thing. If they do, I'll just say I lost it at school."

"You'll always find a loop hole won't you?"

"Where are you concerned? Always," he said through his grin.

She chuckled to herself, shaking her head at his comment. The older Draco got, the more of a charmer he became. She often wondered where such a personality trait came from, she certainly couldn't imagine him learning it from Lucius. The thought made her both shiver and giggle at the same time.

"Something funny?"

"I'm just trying to picture your father teaching you how to be a smooth talker."

"What an odd thing to picture. Do you think I'm trying to smooth talk you?" He asked through his trademark smirk.

Hermione felt her ears burn the second he finished his question. Embarrassed, she pulled her hand away from his and hid behind her fingers.

"Hermione I'm kidding," he said softly, reaching forward to pull her hands away. She fought to keep her face hidden but the feel of his hands on hers distracted her from her need to hide.

"Father isn't exactly the bonding type, the only thing I've ever learnt from that man was how to keep my wits about me," she was thankful he had skirted over the comment, although it was short lived, "my charm just comes naturally," he said before he winked at her.

She pulled her hands from his once more and swatted him on his arm before shuffling back to sit cross legged on the seat whilst Draco rubbed his arm dramatically where she had hit him.

"And your modesty too I bet?"

"No that's something I've picked up from you,"

Hermione sighed and shook her head at him once more before turning away to look out of the window. She enjoyed these playful moods that Draco found himself, sometimes she couldn't decide if he was teasing her or flirting with her and at this point she wasn't sure which one she preferred.

"Are you going to be going to Hogsmeade at the end of the month?" He asked before moving to sit cross legged opposite her, his knee a millimetre away from hers, their proximity made her stomach flutter before she forced more words out of her mouth.

"I plan too, are you?"

"Of course. I can't wait to be able to leave the castle grounds."

"Do you not enjoy being at Hogwarts?"

"I do, it's just, sometimes I feel like I need to-"

"Breath," she finished as she gazed outside at the calm breeze that rustled the trees down below.

"Exactly," he smiled, "why don't you fly?"

"Excuse me?" His question startled her, although only briefly, as it was one of the things she enjoyed about Draco's company, she never knew where the conversation was going to end up.

"You don't fly. Is it a choice or does the brightest witch of our age have a weakness?"

She scowled at him as he smirked down at her, he knew admitting that she had a weakness was something that wouldn't come easily to Hermione and she wasn't oblivious to his methods of provoking her.

"I don't feel in control when I'm on a broom, and if I'm honest I find the whole thing unnecessarily dangerous,"

Draco scoffed at her words and shook his head. She watched from her seat as he stood up and headed towards the alcove beside the fireplace. The light beaming from the fire resulted in the alcove being hidden by complete darkness and she hadn't realised what he had reached for until it was brought further into the light.

Her stomach flipped as her eyes travelled over the length of the broomstick before they moved to his face that lay riddled with excitement. At a loss for words, Hermione sat frozen on the spot staring at the broom that gradually got closer to her.

"No." She said sternly before he had a chance to propose anything, "not a chance." She added before he stopped in front of her and knelt down.

Hermione felt the smooth touch of Draco's fingertips once more as he placed them under her chin and moved her head to face him, her eyes following soon after as she tore them away from the broom beside him. Any humor had been removed from his face and all that remained was a look she had only seen once before from him.

"Hermione, do you trust me?" He asked softly, her eyes drawn to his lips as he spoke. All she could bring herself to do was nod in response and he continued.

"Then trust that I won't let anything happen to you. Why wait until Hogsmeade when we can leave the castle tonight. No-one will know, just you and me,"

She looked into his eyes and wondered how she would ever find a way to say no to him when he looked at her this way.

"Promise me." She whispered, moving closer to the face that was just a few inches away from her own, she was so close she could almost taste the breath that escaped his mouth.

Draco stared down at her, his eyes moving from her own to her lips, contemplating his next move.

'_What if she wouldn't want me to_' he thought to himself as he watched her lips part ever so slightly.

Finally, he rose from his knees before he made a decision to do something he may later regret and climbed on top of the window seat, unhooked the latch on the window and pushed it open wide. Standing before her with his broom in one hand he held out his other once more, gesturing for her to take it.

Hermione caught her breath and looked at the hand stretched out before her, knowing that the second she took it there would be no turning back. She moved to place her hand in his and his firm grip helped steady her as she too climbed on top of the window seat however, she was very aware of the shaking in her legs as she stood opposite him trying to stay focused.

Just as she stood up next to him a slight breeze came in through the window making all of Hermione's senses tingle. Everything that screamed at her that this was a bad idea suddenly went quiet and she was able to focus on the boy in front of her.

"Lets to this," she told him whilst taking the broom from his hands and mounted it.

"Cute," he laughed at the sight of her on a broom, it didn't look in any way right for her to be mounted on a broom but in his pubescent mind, it worked wonders. Draco shook his head slightly, clearing his mind of any impure thoughts he was starting to have before he spoke again, "but I'll need to be at the front to control the broom, unless you think you can?" He smirked when she shook her head rapidly.

"Then scoot on back," he told her before he climbed onto the front, "wrap your arms around my waste and do not let go, trust me Hermione you'll be fine."

She did as she was told and wrapped her arms around him tightly, tucking herself into his back and thankful he had made her sit there so she could hide into him.

"Make sure your eyes are open, no hiding," she scowled into the back of his head and looked through to the side of him, out of the window. "On three. One-"

Before he reached any higher a number they shot through the window and soared through the air. Hermione gripped him almost as tightly as she held her eyes closed whilst she let out a squeal as they picked up speed.

After what felt like a century to Hermione, Draco had put some distance between them and the castle and had began to slow down until he reached a complete stop, just above the Black Lake.

"Hermione?" He called for her but there was no response, if it wasn't for the almost unbearably tight grip she held around his chest, he would've considered the possibility that she had let go before they had even left the room.

"Open your eyes Hermione."

"No thanks, I'm good," she protested, he let out a small laugh in response. Draco moved one of his hands up to meet where hers overlapped and stroked his thumb along the smooth surface of her hand.

"Hermione, open your eyes," he said with a softer tone this time. Once more she did as she was told, inhaling deeply before she straightened her back and opened her eyes on her exhale.

Hermione had seen some spectacular sites during her time at Hogwarts. The castle itself was something to behold but the many towers around the castle, which of course she had visited most if not all, were all positioned in such a way that whoever stood at the top of them were blessed with some of the most beautiful views. However in that moment, she hadn't seen anything more breathtaking than what lay before her.

It was a clear night and the moon was at its fullest and as clear as day it shone down over the lake they hovered not 6ft above, illuminating the entire lake and it's close surroundings. Never had she seen the castle from an angle such as this, it was well lit with a slight mist surrounding it, it would've almost looked eary if she didn't know what wonderful magic it held inside.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Draco nodded in response and streered the broom towards the right, pushing forward slowly towards to the side of the lake without making her too aware they were on the move again.

Once they reached land again he gently touched down and Hermione moved off the broom to sit on the ground where she could admire the view of the castle properly.

Sitting down beside her he too looked over at the castle before his eyes were drawn to the girl beside him. He couldn't help but admire the look on her face as she stared up at the site before them in complete awe whilst her eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

Not before long she pulled her legs up close to her chest and hugged them tightly, it was only then Draco realised how cold it was beside the lake and how Hermione had a skirt with no robe on.

Standing up he unclipped his robe and gently draped it around her shoulders, startling her in the process.

"What're you doing?"

"You're cold, I'm fixing that," he shrugged as he sat back down beside her, slightly closer than he had originally been.

"But now you'll get cold," he scrunched up his nose slightly, which she had learnt was his way of disagreeing without words. Without thinking, she shuffled herself up to him so their legs were touching and she draped the robe around the pair of them, all the while Draco froze as she did it, drinking in the closeness of her face that was only a few inches away from his when she wrapped her arms around his shoulder to position the robe around them both.

Completely oblivious to the effect she was having on Draco, she continued to get comfy in her new position as she leant back against his chest, resting her head backwards in the nook of his neck.

"Wrap your arms around me and this way we will both stay warm."

For some reason unknown to him, he hesitated to do something that he's done over a hundred times by now. He'd had Hermione fall asleep in his arms on many occasions in their secret room, he'd even tucked himself up in hers on the odd time, but every touch felt like it had a different meaning now, like it wasn't just a simple act between friends.

Despite his conflicting thoughts, he moved his arms along with the robe draped around them and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her into him before resting his head against hers. This wasn't the evening he had planned, in fact, he thought he would have spent his evening having Hermione read her new gift to him as he drifted off to sleep, however this version of the evening was a much better outcome.

"Thank you Draco,"

"For forcing you to face your fears and get onto a broom with me?" he felt a sharp nudge of her elbow dig into his stomach before she laughed and shook her head at him.

"Not quite."

"For being the best flyer and bringing you here in one piece like I said I would? "

"Draco!" she said through laughter and turned to face him, his trademark smirk hung on his lips. For the first time since leaving the castle, she looked at him. She had always enjoyed the way the moon's reflection against his eyes made the shades of grey and silver dance around together, although she didn't enjoy the butterflies in her stomach that were doing the same. She swore in that moment, the way he looked at her, the way she melted in his arms, he could ask the world of her and she would say yes.

"Well then if not for my excellent flying skills, what for?" his voice low as he asked. She cleared her throat and turned her face slightly towards the moon, breaking the trance she had found herself trapped in on his eyes.

"For making this the best birthday I've ever had," she answered and turned back to him, "the present, the idea to leave the castle, the location, everything. I couldn't ask for anything more." With that she moved forward and pulled him closer to her by his shirt as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

All of the conflicting thoughts Draco had been having cleared the moment her lips touched his cheek. He no longer wondered why touching her now felt different to every other time they've touched, why being so close to her made his stomach flip in ways he couldn't explain. He knew in that moment that his feelings of friendship towards the Gryffindor he'd grown so close to over the years were changing. He didn't just see her as a friend anymore and he could see that so very clearly now.

As she pulled away from him and loosened her grip on his shirt, his hold around her tightened, leaving just a short gap between them both, their noses almost touching as she looked up into his eyes. Her breath hitched slightly, she knew what she wanted to do, but she didn't want to be the one to do it.

In that moment Hermione felt like everything shifted. The breeze calmed, the grass came to a standstill, she could hear her heart beating in her ears, and what was probably a few seconds felt like minutes as she waited to see what Dracos next move was. Tired of waiting she closed her eyes and all but closed the gap between them as she felt her nose touch against his and his lips were no more than an inch away from hers -

"Did you hear that?" his voice startled her and she pulled away. Embarrassed and suddenly feeling very awkward, she pushed herself away from him and stood up. As she rose from the ground Hermione realised that the breeze hadn't just calmed, it had vanished. There were no crickets or hoots from owls, it was almost as though every creature that spoke in the night had lost its voice.

She turned around and looked back at Draco, confused by the sudden silence of their surroundings only to be greeted by a concerned look on his face as he stared wide eyed towards the forest behind them.

"You know, it's incredibly quiet out here, you didn't have to make up some noise… y'know, if you didn't want-" It was then Hermione had realised he hadn't been lying, as the sound of a howl broke the silence around them and caused birds to flee their nests in the surrounding trees.

Every hair on her body stood on end and a shiver shot straight through her spine as the noise of the howl echoed and coursed through her body.

Draco reached for his broom and jumped up, in one swift movement he'd moved her onto the broom and kicked off from the ground, heading back towards the castle. She hadn't had chance to think about her fear of flying as she held onto him whilst they soared rapidly through the air. Within minutes he slowed down as they approached the window of their room, Hermione hadn't realised they had arrived until she felt the floor beneath her feet causing her to dismount and she moved to take a seat at the table.

Draco moved to close the window and light the fire without saying a word. Every student that attended Hogwarts from the day it was built was told about the various kinds of creatures that the Dark Forest harboured, along with every child that grew up learning about Hogwarts. However, as the years went by and students were forbidden to enter the forest, a lot of what may once have been fact became almost an urban legend.

"Perhaps it was just a regular wolf?" Hermione asked, almost to herself than anything, a nervous laugh following soon after.

Draco hummed in response whilst he looked down at the fire, he knew different as he caught a glimpse of the creature before they took off, but he didn't feel like it was something Hermione would want to hear right now, he didn't want that to be how she ended her birthday.

"Anyway. I better get going, I told Ginny I'd help her on her Transfiguration homework in the morning before class," She said without looking at him as she reached for her cloak.

The moment they'd shared before he heard the first howl flashed into his memory and he urged himself to say something, but at a loss for words he simply nodded as she grabbed her things and he watched her leave.

With a deep sigh he gathered up the remainder of his things and headed towards his dorm, mentally kicking himself for not responding to Hermione, not correcting her on the doubts she clearly had on him not wanting to kiss her.

"And where have you been?" Blaze's voice broke him away from his thoughts.

"For a walk."

"Oh really? Have you taken up strolling around the castle as an extracurricular too?"

"Blaze, for once, shut up. I'm really not in the mood for your smart arse remarks," he snapped and stared at his friend who he'd clearly shocked with his outburst.

"Ok, Jeez." Blaise mumbled and rubbed the back of his head as Draco took off walking again. As they reached the portrait for the Slytherin dorm room Blaise stopped him and turned Draco to face him.

"Look, I know we don't always see eye to eye, that's no secret," he started, Draco nodding in agreement, "but we have been friends for years, I'd like to think you could talk to me if something was bothering you."

For a moment Draco pondered over the idea of coming clean to Blaize, telling him all about his secret friendship with Hermione, how that friendship was turning into something more and the internal struggles he was having at that transformation given the difference in their blood status. However, the harsh reality was that Blaize and Draco did not have that kind of friendship, infact, the only person in his life he had that kind of friendship with was Hermione, and he wasnt fully sure he hadn't ruined that just a few moments ago .

"There's nothing to tell, I went for a walk, that's it." He lied before muttering the password and entered the Slytherin common room. Thankfully the common room was empty, which meant he didn't have to pretend to be anything more than fine to the rest of his classmates and instead he slipped into bed, knowing full well sleep wasn't on the cards for him, as he thought about how he was going to make it up to Hermione.

He had to come up with some sort of plan to make her realise she wasn't the only one, his feelings for her were changing as well.


	23. Twenty Three

_1993 Third Year_

It had been 6 weeks since Hermione's birthday and the incident of the near kiss had happened.

Hermione had convinced herself that it was a mistake, a moment of confusion after a day of sweet gestures from Draco, the wonderful gift, a romantic setting and their proximity, she figured all of that combined had led her to believe she wanted to kiss him.

Since her birthday she had acted as though the _incident _hadn't happened, she had promised herself that she wouldn't let it affect their friendship and had continued to see Draco just as frequently, but she never mentioned it again, and neither did he.

He had made a promise of his own, which was to show her that he hadn't meant to reject her that night on the lake, but when he saw her the following night, he sensed that maybe she had regretted it after all, and so he continued as she did, as though nothing had happened.

On the morning of Halloween, there was a hum of glee spread across the castle as that particular festive season was a favourite amongst witches, wizards and even muggles. This day was also special for the third year students, as this meant their first trip to Hogsmeade.

Hermione stood in front of the mirror in her dorm, glancing over her casual attire once more, debating on whether or not to wear a thicker coat, before she grabbed her bag and left her room, heading downstairs to meet her friends in the common room.

"Maybe you could get McGonagall to sign it? Surely she would understand the situation you're in?" Hermione heard Ron say as she entered the common room.

"I don't know mate, it says parent or guardian." Harry responded. Hermione moved closer to her friends and watched as Harry folded up the unsigned Hogsmeade permission slip he held in his hand before shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans, finally placing both hands in his front pockets.

"I agree with Ron, there is no harm in asking her." Hermione added, he turned to his friend and gave her a lopsided smile before leading the way out of the common room.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Ron paused to ask his brothers, Fred and George.

"Later, we'll meet you there." George answered.

"Got some errands to run first." Fred wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his younger brother before turning back to George who was eyeing a large piece of parchment in his hands.

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way towards the courtyard where the rest of the third year students gathered and waited for Professor McGonagall to join them outside.

"It's not as warm as I'd expected it to be." Hermione commented as she pulled her thick cardigan tighter around her. Harry looked towards Ron who was wearing a large coat on top of his jumper, bouncing his eyes between the coat and Hermione. Ron scowled and looked down at his coat before he averted his eyes and shrugged nonchalantly. Harry rolled his eyes and looked back to Hermione who was smirking to herself, at least he'd tried.

"Students, gather round." McGonagall's voice called out.

"Before you leave for your trip to Hogsmeade, I would like to remind everybody that this is a privilege that can just as easily be taken away from you if there are any rule breaking, that goes for both during and outside of lessons. Now, you were all given a permission slip to be signed by a parent or guardian before the summer holidays and I expect to see those slips before you leave, those without will not be going. Those of you who will be going to Hogsmeade today, I hope you enjoy yourself."

One by one the students lined up to handover their permissions slips before they wandered off in groups to Hogsmead. Hermione lingered behind with her Harry and Ron, her excitement beginning to bubble to the surface.

"Professor McGonagall." Harry called when the mass of students had spursed.

"I was wondering if you could sign my permission slip, you see-" he started, but was stopped by McGonagall as she held up her hand with a glum expression on her face.

"Potter, I'm sorry, but it has to be signed by a parent or a guardian, as I am neither, I'm afraid you cannot go." She said quietly before patting him on the shoulder and heading back into the castle.

Harry turned towards his friends and shoved his hands back in his pockets, forcing a smile to his face before he spoke.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine, I'll catch up on some studying whilst you're gone."

"Don't study too hard, I'll help you with your Charms essay when we get back." Hermione said with a sympathetic tone to her voice.

Harry waved his friends off before they headed towards the rest of the crowd, both looking back on him once more until he was no longer in view. Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving her friend behind, but she couldn't push down her excitement any longer.

"Where are we going to first!?" She all but squealed at Ron.

He laughed at her whilst shaking his head, admiring her grin and the thick curls that bounced as she did with excitement. It was moments like this when he realised how infectious her smile could be.

"Wherever you want." He told her, which only made her smile grow wider. The pair joined up with the rest of their Gryffindor friends and followed them as Filch led the way.

Hermione looked around wide eyed at everything she passed on her route, seeing yet another side to Hogwarts she had never experienced before. Her eyes moved around the woodland that surrounded them, between two trees she spotted the lake, not realising how large the lake was and how far out it stretched, part of which branched off and drew relatively close to Hogsmeade.

As she wondered idly through the woods, her eyes remained on the lake, unable to draw them away as her mind flashed back to the night of her birthday and the incident she'd tried so hard to forget.

"_How could I be so stupid?" Hermione whispered out loud as she entered the Gryffindor common room after having just left Draco in their secret room. _

_She paced around the common room, back and forth between the fire and the table she'd used so many times for studying, trying to shake the feeling of embarrassment out of her head. _

"_How could I have thought he wanted to be anything more than friends?" She asked herself another question whilst shaking her head. _

_After a few moments of pacing, she turned to the stars and headed to her dorm room, ready to put the day behind her. _

_Entering the room as quietly as possible, she changed into her pyjamas and climbed into her bed, her thoughts still racing about the near kiss._

_Tossing and turning, unable to switch her mind off, she eventually sighed in defeat and lay in her 4 poster bed, looking up at the ceiling, counting each beam to distract herself. _

'_One, two, three, four...'_

_She glanced out of the window beside her bed and stared at the moon that was beaming through, lighting up the entire dorm. Within no time her mind went back to Draco and the effect the moon had on his eyes, she pictured clear as day the grey pools merging with silver shining down on her. Shaking her head once more in attempts to get the image of his eyes looking down on her beside the lake out of her head, she then pulled the duvet up, tightening it around herself._

'_Five, six, seven, eight…'_

_Once more her mind flicked back to lake, the robe he'd wrapped around them both, the warmth she felt despite the chill that lingered around them. The realisation that she never felt more safe than she did in his presence, more so in his arms._

'_Nine, ten, eleven, twelve…' _

_The look on his face as she drew nearer to him, as she pulled him closer to her by his shirt, his panicked expression that cut through her. _

_She groaned once more as a wave of embarrassment washed over her._

'_What would this mean for our friendship?' She thought, her stomach turning at the idea of losing her close friend for a second time. _

_He had made her birthday such a special occasion, he'd given her the best gift she had ever received and possibly ever would, he knew her inside out and she wasn't prepared to lose that over a silly crush she thought she had. _

_In that moment she made the decision to put the whole thing behind her. Instead of dwelling on the clear mistake she had made, she decided the best way to move past it, would be to pretend it never happened. _

'_Tomorrow is a new day, everything will go back to normal, it doesn't even need to be mentioned.' She told herself before rolling over one more time and finally feeling herself drifting off. _

_~X~_

_The following day went by like any other ordinary day. She went to class as normal, spent her free time with Harry and Ron, listening to them argue over Quidditch, before Ron declared war and decided a game of Wizards chess was the only reasonable way to decide whos team was the best. _

_Evening drew closer Hermione's stomach flipped more rapidly with each passing minute. Finally, Harry and Ron took themselves off to bed, Hermione followed them up the stairs to her own room before she did a U-turn and came back down the stairs, leaving the empty common room behind her. _

_She arrived outside her secret room and hesitated for a moment, unsure as to whether or not she was capable of pretending like she hadn't tried to kiss him just short of 24 hours ago._

'_Get a grip Hermione.' She mumbled before entering their room. _

_She imagined that seeing him for the first time today, outside of lessons, away from friends, was going to be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable for her. However, upon entering their secret room, she was presented with the sight of him sitting at their window seat with his legs stretched out and a book in his hands. _

_He lifted his head up from his book and greeted her with a small smile and in that moment, she forgot about her nerves and any awkwardness she was feeling. Instead, she instantly felt calm and at ease, even if he didn't fancy her, he was still one of her bestfriends._

_She walked further into the room, taking off her robe and shoes, and climbed on top of the window seat and over his legs to sit opposite him as he put down his book. _

"_Hey." She said softly._

"_Hey." He responded hesitantly. _

"_What're you reading?" She asked, looking out of the window to avoid his gaze._

_He waited for a moment, trying to read her, trying to figure out what was going on inside that head of hers. After a short while when she still hadn't heard a response, her eyes flicked towards him and immediately he stuttered a response. _

"_Darkness Falls." _

"_Again?" She asked, turning to him and regretting it instantly as his eyes stared intently at her, causing her to shift slightly in her seat. _

"_It is my favourite." _

"_I haven't read that since first year. I don't think I ever asked but is there a prequel?" _

_Draco shook his head in response, still confused by her casualness. He had expected her to be nervous, rambling on or even blushing in a way she does so easily, but for the first time he couldn't figure out what she was feeling. _

"_Okay, well in that case, as it's been such a long time since I've read it, read it to me." She told him and shuffled down further into a more comfortable position, propping a cushion behind her head before looking back at him. _

_His movements were delayed as he picked up the book once more and turned back to the beginning._

'_Perhaps she made a mistake, maybe she regrets it.' He thought to himself, before he cleared his throat and started to read. _

_Like any other night they spent together, Draco read for hours before Hermione fell asleep. He placed the book down gently and draped a blanket over the pair of them before he too drifted off._

'_If she wants to pretend it never happened, then I'll oblige.' Was the last thing he thought to himself before he eventually fell asleep. _

"Earth to Hermione." Ron's voice broke through her daydream and she could see clearly now they had arrived at Hogsmeade and Ron was stood in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, I completely spaced out."

"I could see that. The group is going to Zonko's, do you want to go there or somewhere else?" Ron asked, still looking mildly concerned at her.

"Zonko's sounds good to me." She smiled and headed towards the rest of the group, Ron following closely behind, eyeing his friend suspiciously.

~X~

After a few hours of exploring everything Hogsmeade had to offer, Hermione followed as the group of Gryffindors ventured into The Three Broomsticks, one by one sitting around a table together, showing one another their purchases from the day.

Hermione glanced around the room, watching as her classmates chatted and laughed together whilst sharing their new items. Her eyes landed on the table in the far corner where Draco sat with the rest of his Slytherin friends.

From where she sat she had the advantage of being able to watch the table with it being overly obvious what she was doing, and so she sat and observed.

Blaise sat at the end of the table, leaning into Pansy, listening intently to her every word, it was clear to Hermione that Blaise liked her but the feelings weren't reciprocated. As all the while he stared at her, her eyes would dart to only Draco as she showed him the contents of her shopping bag.

She moved along the table to Crabbe and Goyle who were stuffing their faces with some of The Three Broomsticks finest pub grub, her nose scrunched slightly as she watched gravy drip down Goyle's chin, averting her eyes at the site, they landed back on Draco.

A pang of jealousy ran through her as she watched Pansy rest her arm on Draco's, laughing at something he had said.

'That's the fakest laugh I've ever heard.' She thought to herself. Scowling at the site before her. Once more she moved her eyes along when finally they landed on Theo's, who were staring back at her.

Startled and embarrassed that she had been caught out watching the Slytherin table, she shifted in her seat and fumbled around with her bag of treats.

"You ok Mione? You're a little red." Ron asked as she dropped her new quill on the floor, he quickly leaned down to pick it up and pass it to her.

"I'm fine, just a little warm. Infact, I think I'm going to head back up to the castle now, I told Harry I'd help him with his assignment."

"You just want to use your new stationary." Ron said with a smirk.

"You caught me out, that's exactly what I wanted to do." She lied, smiling down at him as she stood up from the table, Ron began to stand also, before she held out her hand to stop him.

"It's fine I can walk back myself, don't worry about it, stay longer with everyone." She told him, and he didn't argue with her, only nodded in agreement and turned back to the group of Gryffindor's.

Hermione was waved off by her friends as she made her way to the exit. Once she stepped outside she was hit with a harsh breeze, reminding herself of the regret she had earlier in not bringing warmer clothes.

As she made her way back towards the castle, her arms folded into her tightly holding onto what little warmth she had left, her mind wandered once more to Draco. Seeing how close Pansy was with him in The Three Broomsticks had made her feel uncomfortable, and yet, she didn't have any right to feel that way.

They weren't together, they weren't a couple, they were just friends, the facts made her no less jealous of the Slytherin she'd recently nicknamed pug-face.

_Hermione lay across the sofa in the secret room, her head rested on Draco's lap as she flicked through her book on Charms. Draco absentmindedly played with a thick curl that strayed from her bun, twirling it found in his fingers whilst he held his potions book in the other hand. _

_She had reached a block in concentration, unable to retain any new information from the book, she found herself skimming over the words several times but the result was still the same, nothing would go in. With a heavy sigh she laid down her book on the floor beside her and rested her hands on her stomach, looking up at the ceiling. _

"_What's the matter?" Draco asked, his eyes never leaving his page. _

"_I'm just struggling to concentrate." She sighed. _

_He closed his book and placed it on the table beside him, turning his attention to the girl that rested beside him, her head so comfortably on his lap. Switching hands so that he still held a curl between his fingers, he moved the other to rest along the back of the sofa. _

"_And why is that?" He asked, looking down at the crease in her brow. _

"_I'm not sure." She answered truthfully. "Talk to me, tell me something new."_

"_Like what?" He chuckled. _

"_I don't know. Tell me about your friends, you never talk about them."_

_Draco shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable about the topic. Hermione's head moved slightly as his legs did, her eyes flicked to look up at him, and still no answer came. _

"_I know they don't like me, you don't have to talk about that part. I just want to know why you're friends with these people."_

"_There's not a lot to it really. My friendships are very different to yours. Yours are based around bonding and loyalty, mine are through family connections. I met Blaze when I was around 5ish, his mother and mine were friends and when she used to come over she would bring Blaise. A few years later my father expanded his company, wanting to introduce an element of law, where he met Theo's father, from then on when they used to have meetings he would bring his son, which is how I met Theo. Pansy's father works with mine at the ministry, he'd told mine that one day Pansy and I would be married, so naturally she believed him, it's bullshit really. Grabbe and Goyle have been friends since they were in nappies, I know my father works with theirs now but I'm not sure how they met, I just know they started coming to parties and events we threw and eventually we became friends. Finally Daphne, well, I met her here." He finished on a long breath. _

_Hermione's head nodded throughout, listening to what little backstory he gave on each friend, if she was honest with herself, she would admit that she had stopped listening the second he had mentioned Pansy's fathers intentions for them both. _

"_Why's it bullshit?" _

"_Excuse me?" Draco asked, startled by her casual use of profanity, it sounded so strange coming from her. _

"_You said that Pansy's dad wanted you to be married one day, then you said it was bullshit, why?"_

"_Oh. Well… because I'm not interested. She's not my type."_

"_So you don't plan to make her your future wife then?"_

"_I think I'm just a tad young to be thinking about that, don't you? But no. I have no intention of marrying her."_

"_What about dating her?"_

"_Hermione I said she isn't my type, I'm not interested."_

_This time she only nodded in response, she could hear the irritation in his voice, so she decided not to push the matter further. She had asked and learnt enough. _

"_What about you, what makes your friends so special?"_

"_I didn't have friends before this place. I was a bit of a loner in school and because of that, I never really made friends, I was always the strange kid with her head in books that weird things always seemed to happen around and then I came here and… well, here I was treated differently because of my blood." This made Draco wince, but she ignored it and continued. "It's strange really, I hadn't expected to become friends with them, after all they had made fun of me. But they came back for me, they came looking for me despite the fact that the troll could've killed them and they protected me. Since then they've been like family, and Rons is like a second to my own. They're all so nice and treat me like I'm one of their own and I like that. Our friendship is something that will never change, only grown stronger I imagine." _

_Draco listened to her detailed reasoning behind her friendship with Harry and Ron, two people he would never be friends with. He understood why she was friends with them, he just didn't like it. _

"_Family hey, so you don't picture yourself ever being with either of them?" He asked hesitantly._

"_Ron and Harry? No, goodness no. I suppose I'm as disinterested in them romantically as you claim to be about Pansy." She teased. He scowled at her as she smirked up at him._

"_Well then you really mustn't be interested if you feel the same as me." _

"_Mmm." She said with a hint of sarcasm, he'd had enough. _

_He moved his hands quickly to her sides and began tickling her, she wailed around on the sofa kicking and laughing, screaming for him to stop, eventually he did. She sat up, catching her breath, holding onto her aching ribs, a smile still spread across her face as she looked to her side at him._

_He shook his head at her before pulling her back down to resume her earlier position, but instead of continuing to talk, he picked up his book. She lay on his lap, staring up at him through her lashes as she watched him read, slowly feeling her eyes becoming heavier until she drifted off to sleep. _

'If he really felt that way, why was he so close to her back in The Three Broomsticks?' She thought you herself.

Hermione felt a branch snap beneath her feet, her foot twisted unnaturally causing her to fall to the floor, scraping her hands in the process.

The contents of her bag had started to spill onto the ground, before she had a chance to reach for any of her things, she found somebody had beaten her to it.

Draco stood before her, holding out his hand for her to take, whilst holding her bag in the other. As Hermione took his hand she flinched, her hands still sore from her fall. He flipped them over to get a better look, small scratches lay red raw on her palms. At the sight of this he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation. Although she didn't hear the spell he had cast, she felt the effects of it immediately as the scratches began to fade into nothingness and the pin lessened.

"Thankyou." She said quietly, taking the bag from his hand.

"In a world of your own was you?" He asked, his smirk evident across his lips.

"So it would seem. I feel a little out of sorts today."

"Mmm, I can see. I shouted you a couple of times, thought you were ignoring me. Then you fell over and I realised you were ignoring your surroundings in general."

She bowed her head down slightly, feeling a blush began to appear on her cheeks, embarrassed at her clumsiness.

"I have something for you." He said, moving swiftly on.

He reached inside a bag of his own and pulled out a hat that had been folded in half. She eyed the hat suspiciously, as though it was going to have some hidden joke inside, but nothing about it screamed that it wasn't genuine.

"You shivered the entire way here and you're practically hugging yourself now. Clearly there isn't a single gentleman amongst your friends otherwise they would have offered you their coat. This hat is charmed to keep the entire body of the person wearing it a comfortable temperature at all times through the cold seasons." He explained. Unfolding the hat he moved closer to her and stopped just a few feet away before he placed the hat on her head and pulled the ear flaps down slightly.

"Perfect." He said softly before looking down into her eyes. If there was ever a perfect moment for him to show her he didn't mean to reject her all those weeks ago. Now was that moment, however he wasn't sure if it was what she wanted any more.

"Now you can keep my body warm even when you're not around." She whispered, struggling to concentrate as his hands remained at the side of her face, holding onto her hat.

"I wasn't aware I kept your body warm when I am around."

Suddenly what she had just said repeated in her head and she felt an overwhelming wave of embarrassment wash over her.

"I just meant - with the fire - and the blankets - and when I fall asleep on you - not that - I mean I didn't mean- "

"Hermione relax, I know what you meant I was just teasing you." He laughed, her cheeks the shade of the house she represented.

"Always happy to keep your body warm." He shifted his hands to lift up the bottom of her chin and winked at her before he left, heading back to The Three Broomsticks.

Hermione remained frozen to the spot, unable to process what had just happened. There was no mistake this time, he was definitely flirting, and she definitely enjoyed it.

**Author Note**

Hey everyone!

I should have said this before my last update but I completely forgot, I just wanted to get it posted.

I apologise for the late update, it's taken me a while to get back into it and find some inspiration, I have all these ideas for random significant moments throughout the years but I just couldn't figure out what to write in between all though things!

However, I'm getting back into it now and I hope you're all still enjoying the story, feel free to tell me otherwise!


	24. Twenty Four

_1993 - Third Year_

"-And then we went to The Three Broomsticks and - OH And Shamus did this thing-"

"Ron you've already told this story." Hermione interrupted Ron as he gave Harry a full update on their trip to Hogsmead, for the third time.

Ron's cheeks flushed as he closed his mouth and gave Harry an apologetic look.

"What did you get up to today then Harry?" Ron asked, changing the subject before he received another scolding from Hermione.

"I went and had tea with Professor Lupin." Harry told them, Hermione raised one of her eyebrows slightly at his answer.

"Oh really? And how was that?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"He knew my mum, and my dad in fact. So it was nice to speak to someone from back then who knew my parents." Suddenly his choice in company for the day made sense to Hermione, although she still couldn't fathom why he would want to spend the whole day of free time with a teacher.

"What do we think of Professor Lupin?" Harry asked his friends.

"He's the most normal teacher we've had yet, he just seems very… down to earth. What you see is what you get with this one." Ron answered whilst reaching for his bag of sweets he'd purchased earlier in the day.

"I'm not sure. I like him, he seems nice enough, but I don't think he's as much of an open book as Ronald may think, I think he's definitely hiding something, I just can't quite think what." Hermione added.

"Do you think perhaps, that might just be because of what we have experienced with the last two DADA teachers?"

"No there's something more. I know we've only had two months with him, but he goes through phases of looking full of life and happy to be here - to looking like he has some huge internal struggle,"

"Struggle with what though?"

"I don't know Harry, that's just it. I'm not sure, its just a feeling I have, as I said, there's just something about him I can't quite put my finger on."

Before her friends could ask her any further questions, the portrait to the common room opened, and a large group of Gryffindors wandered in.

"Told ya they'd be in here." Shamus said to Dean as they wandered over to the sofa opposite where Harry and Hermione sat.

"Look at these Harry." Dean said as he began emptying the contents of his bag, displaying the items he had bought from Hogsmeade.

"Hey." Ginny said quietly to Hermione before taking a seat beside her on the floor.

"Hey, what've you been doing today then?" Hermione asked her friend, turning slightly to face her more, aware that the boys were in a deep conversation about their new toys.

"Nothing much, I just kind of went for a walk, did some work. Nothing exciting." Ginny shrugged before her eyes flicked towards Harry, only briefly, but enough for Hermione to notice.

"Bump into anyone interesting on this walk of yours?" Hermione teased causing Ginny's cheeks to turn pink as she scowled.

"Perhaps,"

"Funny, he didn't mention that you went for a walk, I assume that was at your request?"

Ginny nodded at her before her eyes moved back to Harry briefly, she watched as he laughed along with his friends, his emerald eyes glistening as the sides crinkled, his smile grew wide, flashing an incredible smile that was enough to make Ginny's heart stop.

Of course it made perfect sense now, Harry hadn't spent his entire day with Professor Lupin, but it was an easy enough alabin when he had spent a portion of it with him.

"Made sense. Besides, it's nobody's business. Just like it's nobody's business that you met up with someone, that you're not prepared to name, throughout the holidays." Ginny said in a low voice, Hermione knew this was her friend's way of reminding her that she still wanted to know who the said unnamed individual was.

"The secrecy makes it exciting, welcome to the club." Hermione winked at her friend who could only bring herself to playfully scowl at her before turning back to the group.

It wasn't the answer Ginny wanted to hear, she wanted a name, details, but it was the only answer Hermione was prepared to give, for now at least.

~X~

Throughout the castle, all the students prepared for their Halloween parties. Each year a prefect from every house was nominated to come up with a theme for the house parties, this year it was decided the theme was to be Magical Beasts.

Not very original, Hermione thought, but she found herself overly enthusiastic about her costume this year, having never really thought about it for the previous 2 years. However, this year she had an idea with a certain friend in mind, who she hoped would see the funny side of her costume.

"A what!?" Ginny gasped once Hermione told her what her costume was. "Hermione, we discussed this last year, what happened to sexy?"

"Gin, I'm 14, why would I be bothered about looking sexy?"

"Sexy doesn't have to actually be a sexual reference… well it does, but… well that's not what I mean… Oh you know what I mean! At least look nice, last year you were not a sight for sore eyes!" Gin laughed.

"Thanks." Hermione said, shaking her head whilst she tied her hair out of her face.

"Look, Im just saying, mystery man wouldn't want to see you with a massive beak and feathers coming out of your ass."

"Who said mystery man is going to see me?"

"Really, we're going to pretend you're not going to go running off into the night?" Ginny raised her eyebrows at her friend and looked at her suggestively.

Hermione looked at her through the reflection in the mirror, thankful for the makeup she had on her face as it covered the blush that would no doubt have surfaced on her cheeks.

"I don't know what you mean." Hermione lied, however playing stupid wasn't something she was good at, Ginny simply rolled her eyes in response.

"Well I'm going to be a cat."

"How original."

"Now now Hermione, don't be rude, just because you're going to look like a giant chicken doesn't mean you can take it out on my costume."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh as she finished her make-up and turned around to face her friend, who quickly transitioned from laying across her bed to an upright position within seconds, once she caught a glimpse of Hermione's face.

"What the - How!? How did you do that? That looks amazing!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Face paint. It's what muggles use at parties and stuff for children." Hermione told her.

Using the Face Paint make up kit, Hermione had drawn feathers of different shades of grey around her eyes which, combined with the lashes she had attached, made her eyes stand out dramatically. Below the feathers she had drawn a silver beak that sat over her nose and mouth, with hints of glitter throughout.

"Not at all what I expected! I think you're going to look hot after all! I best go get ready myself otherwise you'll put me to shame!" Ginny told her before she left the room.

Hermione smiled to herself before she grabbed her wand and prepared her hair to be tamed. She had already decided she wanted to straighten her hair, which meant over an hour of research in the library on effective grooming spells, thankfully, she was a quick learner.

~X~

Over an hour later, Hermione was ready. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, confirming her costume was to her liking before she left to join the party.

As she looked in the mirror at herself, she felt a small sense of pride. She had put a lot of thought into her costume this year, all for a practical joke. She wore a grey long sleeve jumpsuit with wings attached to her back that bore feathers of the same shade of the ones on her face. Her hair straightened and left down, fell just above her waste, she had fashioned a headband out of leftover feathers from her wings and used it to keep any hair from falling into her face.

Giving herself one more nod, she left her room to join the noisy Gryffindor common room.

As soon as she reached the bottom step, she saw Ginny running towards her. She had gone for a black dress that had long sleeves and came down to just above the knee, she wore cat ears that were enchanted to glamour whiskers onto the wearer's face, her long red hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and tyde back. Her costume wasn't anything extreme but it was just enough for Ginny.

"I take it all back, you look absolutely amazing!"

"You don't look so bad yourself." Hermione smiled before she moved forward with Ginny to join the rest of the group.

Hermione looked around the room at all the different costumes, admiring the effort some people had gone to, whilst others couldn't have made any less, although she couldn't judge as this was the first year she had made an effort, she was definitely glad to be joining in with the festivities.

She glanced at the clock and wandered when she would be able to sneak away to see Draco, bubbling with excitement to see his response at her costume.

~X~

"Drakey, why don't you ever dress up for these things?" Pansy whined, the Slytherin common room was livelier than Draco had seen it in his short time attending Hogwarts.

"I don't like to dress up, you know that Pansy." He sighed, forcing a smile on his face in hopes it would make his words sound less snappish. He never meant to be nasty to Pansy, but sometimes he didn't have the patience to pretend to be interested.

"He's just boring, that's all Pan's." Blaise commented as he moved around the sofa to sit opposite Draco.

"I'm boring because I'd rather not spend my evening dressed as a-" Draco paused for a moment as he examined the Slytherin opposite him, his eyes landing on the sharp point of the corn on his forehead "- prick?" the word fell out of his mouth, as did the contents of Theo's as he spluttered his drink, laughing at Dracos comment.

Blaise scowled at him in his Unicorn costume and turned his attention towards Theo.

"And what're you supposed to be?" He sniped.

Theo finally composed himself before standing tall, straightening his back and lifting his chin in the air. His chest lay completely bare and he wore thick brown textured trousers with boots that resembled that of hoofs.

"I'm a centaur." Theo said proudly.

Confusion spread around the group as they examined Theo who appeared to be missing a vital part of his costume.

"Erm, Theo… Centaur's are part horse, y'know that right?" Draco's question earned him an eye roll from his friend.

With a small click on something that hung from his trousers, the rest of Theo's costume appeared. Glimmering behind him was the body of a horse, his feet where at the front and his costume was complete. The image lasted for around 10 seconds before it disappeared and Theo sat back down.

"I picked it up at Hogsmeade, cool right? So remind me again, does a Unicorn have the body of a horse?" Thoe smirked at Blaise.

With flushed cheeks and a scowl to match, Blaise stood up with a huff and moved across the room, away from Draco and Theo who were sniggering quietly.

"Got somewhere else to be?" Theo asked Draco as he observed him looking at the time on the clock for the fourth time.

Draco shook his head and took another sip of his drink. It was a lie. He wanted to head to the secret room as quickly as possible, having not agreed on a meeting time with Hermione beforehand, he didn't want to miss seeing the _surprise _she said she had for him.

~X~

Draco stood in the corner of the Slytherin common room that still buzzed with students celebrating Halloween. He glanced at the clock for the hundredth time before assessing the likelihood of him being able to leave the common room unnoticed. All of his friends seemed to be deeply occupied in some conversation or other that he seized his opportunity and moved swiftly through the portrait.

He made his way, quickly and quietly, through the castle, his family room as his destination. It was only then, as the cool chill that swept through the castle, wrapping itself around him, that he realised the effects of the last drink that Blaise had handed him. It was clear now it had been spiked with alcohol.

Once he reached the entrance to his family room, he stood still for a moment, one hand on the foot of the Dragon with the other rubbing his eyes to shake the ever growing tipsy feeling that was forcing itself to the surface.

With another shake of his head and one more sigh, he pulled aside the veil and wandered into the room. For a brief moment, Draco had forgotten that Hermione had a surprise in store for him. Even with that in mind, he could not have braced himself for what he saw.

As soon as his eyes landed on her, he knew exactly what she was dressed as. He moved further into the room, her costume design becoming clearer and her smile growing wider as she watched his reaction unfold before her.

He stopped just a short space before her, staring down at her, his eyes wandering over every inch of her costume, from the grey boots she wore on her feet, right up to the feathers on her head, but they lingered most of all of the piercing golden brown eyes that looked up at him through her thick lashes.

Hermione found herself fidgeting as Draco examined her, unable to read his expression. She bit down on her lip, trapping the laugh that so desperately wanted to escape.

"A Hippogriff… a fucking Hippogriff?" he said.

Hermione sensed just enough humor in his voice for the laugh she had been holding in to finally escape her lips, once she started she found it difficult to stop.

Clutching her stomach that ached from her laughter, she moved to take a seat by the window, Draco remained put, his arms folded across his stomach as he watched her laughing hysterically to herself. Her infectious giggles caused a lopsided smile to form on his lips.

"You think you're hilarious don't you." He commented, still unable to control herself she simply nodded in response.

Growing tired of being the but of her joke, he decided to silence her the only way he knew how, the alcohol he had consumed, despite against his will, had provided him with the courage to make her feel uncomfortable, not that he needed any.

"Well, it's had the opposite effect of what you may have desired, because instead of being insulted that you dressed up as the overgrown chicken that maimed me. I find your costume insanely hot." He spoke as he moved to sit opposite her on the window seat.

His plan had worked. Hermione's laughter ceased immediately and had it not been for the makeup that covered her face, he was certain her cheeks would've flared deep red.

"Maybe that was the desired effect?" Hermione responded, shocking both herself and Draco.

She stood from the seat and wandered over to the table to pour herself a drink, leaving Draco sat with his mouth still slightly open in shock. He had made a few flirtatious comments in the past, ones he figured were harmless but enough to turn her cheeks a colour he'd grown to love, but she had never fired anything back at him. He found himself liking this side of Hermione very much.

All the wires in his brain finally reconnected and he closed his mouth whilst he watched her walking over to the table. Her costume was tight and fitted to every curve and dip on her body. For a teenage boy who struggled to control his hormones, Draco was having a very intense battle with himself internally to not react at the sight before him, he mentally cursed Blaise once more for feeding him alcohol as his strength to control himself felt like it was dwindling whilst his eyes wandered down her body moving south of the wings that hung on her back.

"How long have you been here for?" he asked, distracting himself before his eyes landed just below the point where her wings stopped.

"I'd say about an hour. We didn't agree on a time, I didn't want to leave it too late incase you came and fell asleep. I said I was going out for some air, so I don't actually have that long before someone comes looking for me."

"You can't stay?" the disappointment was clear in his voice.

Hermione wandered back over to the seat, her drink in hand, it was something to keep her hands occupied as opposed to her being thirsty and needing a drink.

"How is it, you have time to go to all these extra classes, do all this extra studying, and yet the only time we get to see each other is in the dead of night when we should technically be sleeping?"

"People would question where we were going if we left throughout the day, you know they would."

"Yes, but if we said we were in the library, they wouldn't exactly come looking for us."

"No, but I do actually spend time in the library and if I saw you in that time, I wouldn't get any studying done."

"Good, that would give the rest of us a fighting chance to match your grades!"

"Match? Not beat?"

"Let's be realistic, that would take one hell of a wizard to beat your grades… someone like me." he teased, a smirk spread across his lips.

"Clearly not if you haven't already."

"You're on fire tonight, Granger."

"I learn from the best, Malfoy." She said, before mimicking his trademark smirk.

"We digress, how is it you have time to do all of this?" Draco asked once more.

Hermione's face fell slightly as she pondered over her answer. She had a secret she wasn't sure whether or not to tell, a secret that wasn't hers to tell, not entirely. Moving her eyes from the cup she held in her hands, she looked up at him through her lashes, curiosity written all over his face as they sat in silence.

"You have a secret?" Draco surmised.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together as a wave of panic washed over her.

"Are you… are you using your Legilimency skills on me?" She asked, the hurt clear in her voice.

"What?! No! Of course not, Hermione I would never do that." He told her as he moved quickly to sit closer to her, his hands clasped over hers as she held the cup.

"Trust me Hermione, I would never, ever, use Legilimency on you. If I asked you something and you didn't want to tell me, that's you business, I promise you."

Hermione nodded at him, giving him a small smile in response, relief washing over her.

"You clearly have a secret though and I'm guessing it doesn't just belong to you. I won't push you to tell me, but you know you can trust me." he stretched out his arm and tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear as he spoke.

Hermione's stomach did a complete backflip once she felt his fingertips glide across her face. She cleared her through and put down her cup before turning back to him.

He was right, she could trust him, and if the shoe was on the other foot, she would like him to feel like he could tell her and she would want to know.

Draco watched her as she started to pull down the neckline of her costume, what was probably a two second process seemed to slow down completely for him. His stomach dropped and his heart felt like it was going to break through his chest due to the speed it was pounding. As quickly as she had started to pull down the hem she stopped and let it bounce back up. She had only moved it an inch to gain access to the necklace she had intended to show Draco, but an inch was enough to send his heart racing.

He hadn't been lying when he expressed his fondness for her costume, he was beginning to struggle to be around her in it, as his hormonal mind was too busy picturing her out of it.

"This-" Hermione said, bringing his mind back to the original topic, "-is a Time Turner."

Draco stretched out his hand to take hold of the necklace Hermione wore and held in her hand. He had never seen anything like it, his eyes wandered over each individual golden hoop before stopping to examine the hourglass in the middle.

After a close inspection of the necklace, he handed it back to Hermione with a confused look on his face.

_What does this have to do with anything? _He thought.

"Professor McGonagall gave this to me at the beginning of the year, she said it would allow me to take on all the extra classes that I wanted to do as well as find time to study. This device allows me to turn back time. In the wrong hands, it could be lethal."

Draco was astonished. He had never heard of such a device existing, which, the more he thought about it, that was probably for the best. Given the line of work his father and his friends were in and their allegiance to Voldemort, Hermione was right, in the wrong hands it could be lethal.

"So, you've been going to class and then going back in time… to go to another class?"

"Basically."

"Wow… trust Hermione Granger to be in possession of such a powerful and amazing artifact and she uses it to study more, you really are a unique being."

"It took a lot of convincing from McGonagall to the Ministry for them to allow me to use it, my grades were taken into consideration alongside my behaviour… which despite always landing on my feet, I have technically broken a lot of rules in the past two years."

"Very true. So, how does it work?"

"I have to twist the dial, the number of twists will be dependent on how far back I want to go."

"Sooo… If you wanted to go back a couple of hours so that we could spend more time together before you have to run off back to the Gryfindorks, how many twists would that take?"

Hermione scowled at his insult towards her fellow housemates, but could feel her mouth bending to a smile at his not-so-subtle plan.

"I'd say about 1, maybe 1.5 twists. That would buy us a few hours. That would be IF I wanted to spend more time here rather than going back to the party in my common room."

Draco tried a different approach. He reached out for the time turner once more, holding it in the palm of his right hand. Slowly and gently, his grip tightened on the time turner, he used his grasp on the chain to pull Hermione just a few inches closer to him.

"Why wouldn't you want to spend more time here." he whispered. He could feel his heart rate pick up speed again, so much so he could feel the thumping traveling up to his now dry throat. He knew he came across as cool, calm and collected, but on the inside, he was going insane.

He sometimes wondered where his courage came from to say these things to her, anybody else and he wouldn't find it so difficult, perhaps because he didn't mean it or he didn't want anything to happen, but with Hermione he felt nervous, there was something to lose if she responded badly, and yet, something in his brain gave him a boost of confidence that lasted for a few seconds, long enough for him to go through with speaking his mind, but not long enough to remain overly confident afterwards.

His eyes flickered down to her lips and back up to her eyes, he tried desperately to read her thoughts without having to invade her mind unwillingly. Now was his chance, he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to show her how he hadn't meant to reject her that night by the lake, all he had to do was move forward ever so slightly.

Hermione's breathing came to a complete stand still, there was no doubt about it, her body had forgotten how to function, the wire that led from her brain to her lungs evaporated. She looked into Draco's eyes, they were now just a few inches away from her face, she could feel his breath against her, almost tasting the drink he'd had before coming to meet her.

She had a momentary battle with herself as her heart told her to lean forward just an inch further, but her brain reminded her of the last time she leaned forward and how she felt for some time afterwards.

The memory of her near kiss with Draco kick started her brain and she came to her senses once more before clearing her throat to speak.

"Fine." She spoke, startling him slightly, "but you cannot tell a single person EVER. And we can't get caught, I can't begin to tell you the problems it would cause if we saw ourselves."

Hermione pulled the chain of the Time Turner, freeing it from his grasp, her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand. She ignored the electricity that emitted from his touch and pulled the chain further out from beneath her costume.

Quickly and without hesitation she pulled the chain to drape over his neck and held the Time Turner between them.

"Will it hurt?" Draco asked hesitantly.

Hermione couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips, she gave him a small smile and shook her head.

As quickly as she wrapped the necklace around both of their necks, she moved the dial on the Time Turner. Draco remained completely unaware of the shifting time around him as he watched her closely.

She grabbed the chain once more and placed it back underneath her costume. Draco stared at her, confused and somewhat disappointed.

"Did it work?" he asked, the scepticism clear in his voice.

Hermione smiled and moved to the window, pushing it open wide, it was still dark outside, she hadn't gone back too far. It was clear to see from where they sat that there were students still wandering around down below, which meant it was before curfew. Draco turned his head back quickly in astonishment before he glanced over towards the clock that rested above the fireplace.

"7:30… that's 3 hours, you did it!" He said, Hermione scoffed, pretending to be insulted as if he didn't believe she had been telling the truth.

"That is a truly amazing piece of equipment you have there. Make sure nobody else ever gets hold of it."

"I won't, you're the only other person that knows about it. To anyone else, its just a stupid necklace."

Draco looked down towards her neck where the chain stuck out slightly just above her collar.

"You don't tend to wear jewellery do you?"

"No… I don't see the point in wearing it for an accessory. I think Jewellery should mean something."

"Agreed. I wear a ring with the family crest on." he said as he held up his hand to show her, a black ring rested on his right index finger. "So if you had a piece of jewelry that meant something, you would wear it?"

"Don't you dare."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I know the way you think Draco, I'm not falling for your 'maybe if i'll act stupid she will forget about it and I'll do it anyway' act. It wont work, don't be getting any ideas."

"I do not do that!" he said in shock.

Hermione raised her eyebrow and looked at him, giving him a moment to really think about what he had said.

"I don't! I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Mmm." Hermione hummed with a smirk across her lips.

"It's a shame. That chain looks good on you."

"Draco!"

"I'm just saying!"

"So. Now you have me for a few hours, what do you intend to do?" Hermione asked, changing the subject from a topic she wished he would forget, never mind his intent for _her_ to do so.

He smiled, rose from the window seat and began making his way towards the fireplace. Hermione's stomach flipped once she realised exactly where he was going, or more, what he was getting.

"I'm sorry I asked." She said as he moved back towards her, his broom held firmly in his right hand, his ever growing grin on his face.

"You loved it last time, you can't even deny it."

"I maybe didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, but I certainly didn't love it." She protested, standing up from the seat she didn't particularly want to leave.

Draco let out a small chuckle before holding the broom out in front of him. Hermione stared, confused when he didn't immediately mount the broom first.

"You first, you're going to guide us this time."

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, I'll be pretty much doing all the work, I just want you to experience being at the front, seeing everything." He moved closer to her, towering above her with the broom beside him.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you Hermione, ever." he said softly. Hermione stared up at him, looking into the intensity of his eyes that glistened down at her, like butter wouldn't melt. She both hated and loved the effect his gaze had on her. He made her feel like anything was possible and she could get lost in the silver pools that were his eyes, but he knew that and often used it to get his way.

'One day I'll come up with a strategy to get my own way.' she mumbled to herself.

He watched, amused at the sight before him, as Hermione grabbed the broom from his hand and started mumbling about wanting the ability to get her own way. Little did she know, he would go to the ends of the earth for his little Gryffindor, all she needed to do was ask.

She finally mounted the broom and gave him an impatient look. Without hesitation he climbed on behind her, snaking his arms through hers. He felt her sharp intake of breath before his hands touched the broom and wrapped his fingers around.

"Just tell me when I need to go because I'm beginning to lose the feeling in my legs." she stuttered.

Hermione's sole focus lay on the position of Draco's hands. He moved one hand around her waist, holding her tightly in place whilst the other remained clasped around the broom between her legs, making it very difficult for her to concentrate on the task at hand.

He kicked off slightly from the ground and they both hovered for a moment, Hermione knew she wouldn't be controlling the flight, but she was nervous nevertheless, and yet, she wouldn't dream of complaining about being at the front if it meant his arm would be wrapped around her.

"Go." He whispered, and they soared through the window into the brisk October night.


	25. Twenty Five

_1993 - Third Year _

"Are you sure you have to go home for Christmas?" Hermione asked Draco.

Draco looked up from his book as he lay across the sofa in front of the fireplace in their room, he observed his Gryffindor friend as she surrounded herself in books and parchments, studying for exams that were months away.

He couldn't help but smirk at the sight before him, unsurprised that this was how she had chosen to spend her evenings leading up to Christmas. Hermione did not look up from her books as she spoke, she simply turned another page and continued to make notes.

"Unfortunately yes, I'm sure. My father has some business he wants me to attend to with him."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

"That makes two of us." He sighed, resting his book against his chest before he looked up at the ceiling, losing himself in his thoughts.

Before he lost himself entirely in what Hermione could only imagine would be a dark place, she broke through the silence.

"How confident are you in your skills of Occlumancy?"

"Pretty confident."

"Pretty confident?" she mimicked as she looked up from her book.

"I can invade almost as good as I can keep out, and I'm _pretty confident_ I could keep anyone out of my mind by now. My mother's main focus recently has been teaching me to manipulate my memories."

Hermione placed the book she had been reading down, along with her quill and looked up at him with her full attention, waiting for further explanation.

"For a while she wanted me to be able to master the ability to be able to deter someone away from a particular thought, take you for example. I have to be able to force someone into a different direction if they were getting close to discovering my memories with you. That was never ideal, but it was a start." Draco placed his book down beside him and shifted himself into an upright position on the sofa.

"Then I had to be able to replace the diversion with another memory I wasn't too bothered about being discovered, again, not Ideal but that would at least lessen the suspicion somewhat."

"And now?" Hermione pushed herself up from the ground and moved to the sofa where Draco lay, taking a seat at the end.

"Now I'm learning how to create false memories."

"But what use would that be?"

"To a mildly skilled legilimens, not being able to access someone's mind or only being able to reach a fraction of the memories whilst not being able to make complete sense of it all, that would be expected. My previous teachings will work fine in that instance. However, to a highly skilled legilimens, that would raise alarm bells, that would give away that I had been trained, therefore raise suspicion as to what I was hiding for me to need to be trained in the first place."

He paused for a moment as he moved his legs from the sofa, stretching slightly before he rested his arms against his knees and faced the floor.

"Being able to create false memories would mean that someone highly skilled wouldn't know any different, there would be no diverting, no confusing patches of memories… to them, they would all be there, only I would know that what they're seeing is false, but it's hard work and takes _a lot _of practising." Draco emphasised the words a lot, making Hermione wince slightly.

"Does this technique hurt?"

Draco remained still for a moment, his eyes fixated on his feet.

It was difficult to explain to someone who had never had their mind invaded what the pain of it felt like and he'd hoped she would never find out. Although he had gotten over the initial pain of someone entering his mind, became skilled enough to stop almost anyone from even trying to, with each new technique he learnt came a whole new pain.

"_Mr Malfoy, don't let your current level of skill make you overly confident. You still have much more to learn." Snape told Draco as he sat on a chair in his office, his head in his hands. _

"_I'm trying." Draco responded through gritted teeth._

"_Evidently, not hard enough." Snape drawled. He moved slowly across his office and reached for the pitcher of water before pouring the contents into a goblet. Draco looked up though his ruffled hair and scowled at his professor before he snatched the water out of his hands, downing the entirety of it. _

"_Take a deep breath and let's try again." _

"_What is a deep breath going to achieve?! Am I going to suddenly inhale the ability to be able to pull memories out of my arse!" Draco snapped. _

"_The sooner you stop acting like a spoilt little child, the easier this will be."_

"_BUT I AM A CHILD!" Draco stood from his seat and threw the cup to the ground, the noise echoed loudly through Snape's otherwise silent office. _

_Snape looked at him, in his usual emotionless way, watching him panting with rage, his fists clenched into balls either side of him. _

"_Are you done?" He asked Draco calmly. _

_Draco closed his eyes, inhaled a deep breath and held onto it for a second before letting go, opening his eyes once more. He moved back to the sofa and sat down, resuming his usual position for his Occlumency lessons, before he nodded at his professor. _

_Snape reached down to the ground for the cup, uncharacteristically slowly, he moved to place it back onto the table and remained facing away from Draco. _

_Draco became uncomfortable in the silence that had built since his outburst but before he could say something, Snape spoke. _

"_I will only say this once Draco." He started, the use of his first name made Draco shift in his seat with nerves as he stared at the back of his professor's head. _

"_You are a Malfoy. Your father is a Death Eater, a follower to one of the most powerful dark wizards to go down in history." His nose wrinkled at the mention of Voldemort, even not by name, "You are fully aware of the Death Eaters plans, they may seem like idealists to you, but they are not far off achieving what they have worked so hard on for the past 13 years." _

_Draco felt sick, he had suspicions they were getting closer, but having someone else say it out loud, confirming that the Death Eaters were getting closer to reaching their goal, made it all the more real. _

"_IF they succeed, I cannot begin to tell you the danger you will be in. Your family was heavily involved when the Dark Lord was alive, do you have some misguided illusion it will be different the second time round? Because it wont." Snape sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, the thought of Voldemort's return unsettled him just as much if not more than it did Draco, for he remembered, he could foresee what the world would be like if he was to return. _

"_So yes, you are a child for all intents and purposes. You are at an age where being naive and idiotic with you main focus being Quidditch and girls is deemed normal. However." He turned to face Draco, his expression serious and his tone low. _

"_At your current level of skill, you may be able to fool someone such as myself, you may even be ready to fool the likes of your Aunt Bellatrix, but if the Dark Lord returns. You will __**not**_ _be able to fool him."_

_Draco's mouth dried up as he tried to swallow back his fear. When he first started his lessons with his mother in first year, he had always been told it was so that he could keep his father and surrounding Death Eaters out of his mind if it came to it. The older he got, the more he realised there was a bigger reason for the lessons, although he never imagined Voldemort would be the reason. _

"_Not yet." Snape added before he moved close to Draco. "I'm not saying any of this is fair, you will learn this, but more importantly, you can learn this, you're almost there already." _

_Encouraging words from Professor Snape was something Draco never thought he would experience, he wasn't sure whether or not to be calmed by it, or more unsettled. _

_Clearing his throat, he adjusted himself in his seat. He took one last deep breath and nodded at his professor before he heard Snape cast his spell and enter his mind. _

"_What're you doing here!? This is the girls' toilets!" Hermione squealed quickly, wiping away the tears that had been streaming down her face moments ago._

"_Is it? I hadn't noticed. It sounded like someone was being brutally murdered so I thought I'd come check it out." Draco said nonchalantly as he made his way over to lean against a cubicle._

"_Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me, so you can be on your way," Hermione said sharply as she turned away from him towards the mirror. _

_* Draco stiffened in his seat and held his breath, his eyebrows furrowed as he used every ounce of his strength to manipulate the memorie he had allowed Snape to access. The familiar stabbing feeling in the back of his head returned as the pressure on his temples intensified. *_

"_Oh I don't know, finding you here in tears is just as good of a discovery."_

"_I'm not crying." _

"_Sure you are, I mean, you usually look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards, but today you look like you've taken a beating along the way. Your eyes and face are all puffy. Crying over Weasley?" Draco's snarky voice caused Hermione to twist suddenly, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. _

"_Go away Malfoy." _

"_But this is so much fun, I can tell I'm making the situation so much better." He smirked. _

"_GET OUT." She shouted at him, stepping closer as the tears poured out of her eyes._

"_Ok ok, don't step any closer, I wouldn't want your filthy Mudblood tears staining my robes." He said as he held up his hands and left Hermione behind. _

_Draco exhaled as Snape came away from the memory and detached himself from Draco's mind. _

_A smile formed on Draco's lips as an overwhelming sense of achievement washed over him, he looked towards his professor who wore a mixture of emotions, both distressed and satisfied. He had finally done it._

Draco moved his head to face Hermione and smiled.

"No. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it." He lied.

Hermione signed, relaxing her shoulders. He hated lying to her, but he hated worrying her even more. Once she allowed herself to relax slightly from her studies she felt her eyes become heavy, the day's worries slowly leaving her body the more she sunk into the sofa.

"You need to take a breather, spend less time… well, messing about with time to do more work. Hermione, you're stretching yourself too far."

She could only bring herself to hum in response before she began to drift off in her seat.

Draco reached over and guided her down to the sofa so that she lay across his lap. She made a small sigh of approval as he gently stroked the hair out on her face and continued to run his fingers softly over her head.

These were his favourite moments. Just him and her, in their secret room, Hermione asleep, not worrying or fussing over her studies, whilst he had what felt like an endless amount of time to admire her, until sleep took over him also.

~X~

"Hermione! Wake up, it's Christmas!" Hermione heard Ron's voice echo through her dorm room at 7 o'clock on Christmas day. She shot up in her bed, alarmed by the idea that he was in her room before she realised she was alone.

She unwillingly dragged herself from her bed and reached for her dressing gown, unable to muster up the energy to get out of her Pyjamas just yet.

Hermione opened the door to her dorm room and instantly heard the noise of paper rapidly being torn coming from down below in the common room.

'Couldn't wait 2 minutes.' she thought to herself.

"Morning." She grumbled before pouring herself a warm drink and taking a seat on the large chesterfield next to the Christmas tree, her favourite chair in the common room which she found she had all to herself now most students had left for Christmas break, the smell of the leather frame she rested her head against reminded her of old libraries.

It was only once she was seated that she realised her friends hadn't even noticed her entering the room, they were much more interested in the long parcel Harry held onto.

"What's that?" Hermione asked, finally getting some recognition from Harry.

"I'm not sure, it looks like a broo-"

"IT'S A FIREBOLT!" Ron interrupted Harry, startling Hermione, as well as Crookshanks who had been sleeping besides the fire. Hermione's cat scowled at Ron before he stalked out of the room, Hermione gave him an apologetic look in the process and earned herself no response from her feline companion.

She watched as her friends tore away the remainder of the brown wrapping paper from the broom, her friends expressions resembled what she imagined love at first sight would look like.

"Who's it from?" Hermione asked, neither of her friends responded.

She rose from her seat and moved towards Harry and Ron who were still eyeing every inch of Harry's new broom, but Hermione couldn't find a note anywhere that belonged to the gift.

"Harry, who is it from?" She asked once more.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes Ronald, it does."

"I'm not sure…" Harry said warily, anticipating her response.

"You're not sure like - you couldn't recognise the writing on the note or you're not sure like - you didn't get a note?"

"The second one." Harry said sheepishly.

"Harry you can't use this!"

"Why the hell not!?" Ron protested, more outraged by Hermione's words than Harry was.

"Because, Ronald, need I remind you that there is a murderer at large that coincidentally wants to kill Harry?"

"But what has that got to do with this broom? Sirius Black isn't going to buy Harry a broom to kill him."

"Why not? It's the perfect plan. Buy the best broom there is, appeal to your interests and enchant it to explode once it's reached a certain altitude, or better yet, enchant it to bring you to him. Leading a victim to its prey.."

Harry and Ron stopped what they were doing and stared at Hermione.

"You're scary sometimes, y'know that?" Ron said quietly.

"I'm realistic. You have to turn it over Harry."

"No."

"But-"

"No Hermione. You said the same thing about my Invisibility Cloak and look how much that helped us out."

Hermione knew it was useless to argue with them, especially when it was two against one, that made it all the more difficult to make them see sense. Instead, she turned back to her seat and continued to drink her tea as she battled with the idea of telling a Professor about Harry's Gift.

~X~

Hermione walked through the portrait to the Gryffindor common room, filled with regret. Earlier in the day the side of her battling to tell a Professor had beaten the side that wanted to let her friends enjoy Harry's new gift.

She had made a visit to Professor McGonagall who had agreed that the gift seemed suspicious and it should be checked, although she failed to mention that she knew of Sirius Blacks real intentions for escaping Azkaban. Once she had confirmed that, Hermione left her office and headed back to the common room, but before she had reached the portrait, she was filled with dread.

This was not only going to upset her friends, but it would make them angry. She wasn't sure she was prepared to have an argument with them over Christmas, especially when Draco wasn't around for her to vent to afterwards. She wondered for a moment whether or not she had done the right thing, but she knew deep down that she had, she wanted to keep them safe.

She moved across the common room, ignoring the small crowd that swooned over Harry's broom, reached for her book and pretended to read. Filled with worry of how her friends were going to react, she paid no notice of the words on the page in front of her.

Just a few seconds later the portrait door opened and Professor McGonagall walked through, causing a couple of the students' heads to turn, but the others were too engrossed in the broom to notice she had even arrived.

"So that's it, is it?" Said Professor McGonagall, walking over to the fireside as she stared at the Firebolt that rested across the sofa, taking up three seats of its own.

Harry and Ron looked around at Hermione. They could see her forehead reddening over the top of her upside-down book.

"May I?" Professor McGonagall said, but she didn't wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt off the sofa. She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends. "Hmm. And there was no note at all Potter? No card? No message of any kind?"

"No," said Harry blankly.

"I see…well, I'm afraid I will have to take it then."

"W-what!?" Harry stuttered, scrambling to his feet along with his friends. "Why?"

"It will need to be checked for jinxes," she spoke sternly. "Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down-"

"Strip it down!?" Ron repeated, infuriated by the meer suggestion of stripping down Harry's Firebolt.

"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks. You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx free."

Professor McGonagall turned on her heel to walk out of the room, all eyes on the Firebolt she held in her hands as she left through the portrait.

Hermione didn't need to look up from her book to know her friends were glaring at her, she could feel their eyes burning through the thick leather spine.

"How could you!?" snapped Ron as he stormed over to chair Hermione sat on, pretending to read.

"I was concerned, what if -"

"You had no right to Hermione!" It was Harry's turn to snap.

"I didn't want anything to happen to you, I -"

"No, you just wanted to spoil our fun!" Harry interrupted, seething at his friend.

"Just because you don't know how to have fun and all you do is study does not mean the rest of us have to suffer along with you!" Ron started before Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him back slightly.

"Ron…" Harry spoke more calmly now as he looked towards a red faced Ron.

Hermione was outraged, she knew they wouldn't be happy with her, she had her reasons and she thought they may understand had they listened to them, however it was clear to see that both Harry and Ron were too angry to see sense. She could feel the tears building in her eyes, but she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry for another time due to their harsh words.

She stood from her seat and barged past her friends, grabbing her bag along the way, she ran through the portrait and didn't look back. Heading towards her secret room, all she could think was how she hoped Draco was having a better Christmas than she was.

~X~

Draco was seated at a large spacious table across from his mother, the distance the table put between anyone who sat around it was something he always considered ridiculous, but then, his father never did appreciate talking at the dining table, even if it was Christmas.

"Where's Father?" Draco asked his mother as they finished their Christmas Dinner and waited for the house elves to bring dessert.

"He had a work related problem he had to attend to, why? Are you missing him?" Narccisa teased.

Draco scowled at his mother before picking up his spoon and fidgeting with it in his hands.

"Could the plans to resurrect the Dark Lord not wait a day?" His words caused his mother to choke on the sip of wine she had just taken.

For a moment she simply stared at him over her glass, unable to respond. Finally, she had managed to process his words and placed her glass back on the table before gently patting her mouth with her napkin.

"Well if the _Ministry_ has the same goal in mind, I'll be damned."

"I sometimes forget he works for the Ministry."

"Along with things you should and shouldn't say out loud it seems." Narcissa's tone grew serious.

"Be mindful Draco, the happenings in those meetings you attend with your father are of no concern to anyone outside of that room. I do not care to know these things and it may do you some good to remember that."

"You would rather just be blind to it all?"

"I would rather plausible deniability."

"In case of what? Last I checked it's illegal for the Ministry to use Legilimency as a way to retrieve information from someone."

"Yes, but Veritesirum is not." Narccisa snapped.

Draco could count on one hand how many times his mother had raised her voice directly at him in his lifetime, it wasn't something he enjoyed doing and it unsettled him more than he would care to admit.

Almost as quickly as she lost her temper with her son, she had calmed, realising that sitting before her, was her only child who was no doubt terrified in the position he was in, and it would only get worse.

"I don't need to be told Draco because I'm not blind, I can see what is happening, I've known for years what your father and his _friends_ have been planning. I hate that you're involved, but I'd rather you not discuss it so openly, this is a serious matter."

"Then why am I involved?"

His mother paused and sat back in her seat, resting her elbows on the arms of her chair as he moved her hands upwards and clasped them together in front of her face.

"You're a Malfoy, there was never anyway for you not to be. However, instead of running with you when you were born, away from all of this, constantly hiding from our past, we decided to stay and fight."

"So you want to fight, through me?"

"I want you to be strong, to be able to protect yourself if the worst happens."

"That's not what Father wants though is it." Draco said, more of a statement than a question, he could sense his mother's growing irritation towards the subject at hand.

"What your father wants and what I want aren't entirely two different things, however, yes. He may want more for you that I do not."

"So you raised me to be a pawn in all of this."

"We raised you to be able to protect yourself. It has never been clear how all this would pan out, Draco, you have to understand that when you were a young boy the idea of _him _returning was just that, an idea. The Carrows were the first to suggest it was even a possibility, they were insane, nobody thought it would happen. Until your first year at Hogwarts."

Draco stopped twirling the spoon around in his hands and gripped onto it tightly as he thought back to his first year, the roomers that Harry had fought Voldemort in the dungeons of the school.

"So it was all true?"

"Nobody knows for sure. Only the people who were there that night can answer that question."

"That would go down well, Hey Potter! Did you actually have a tumble with the Dark Lord, just asking because my lifes a bit shit with the whole preparing for him perhaps returning one day and I want to know whether or not to be concerned?"

"Draco Malfoy!" Narccisa shouted as the palm of her hand hit the table, the noise and shock of the notion caused him to drop his spoon.

"Don't you EVER swear in front of me again!"

Draco and his mother stared at each other in silence, neither one wanting to be the first to break it. Not before long, they both calmed and saw the humor in the situation and couldn't fight the laughter that had started to come out of them.

"Honestly mother, of all the things to lose your temper over in this situation, me swearing is what did it." Draco said between catching his breath.

"You know how much I hate swearing." Narcissa said as she composed herself, smiling at her son.

"I'm sorry. I just hate the situation, it doesn't seem fair to throw someone so young into the middle of all of this."

"Think how Potter feels." his mother said, and with that, Draco sombered.

It was no secret that he didn't like Harry, however, he had never really compared his situation to his own. When in reality, they were in similar situations. One child being pushed to be the saviour working from the outside in whilst the other was being pushed to save everyone from the inside out. Neither one had a choice, neither one asked for it.

Draco would never admit to this realisation, not even to Hermione, but it certainly made him look at things in a different light.

~X~

Christmas break had drawn to an end as Draco spent his last evening wandering around the snowy grounds of Malfoy manor, his hands in his pockets and his face hidden slightly underneath his scarf.

He looked forward to returning back to school as it meant he could see Hermione and hear all about the Christmas she had.

'All the time she'd spent studying' he smirked to himself.

"Ah, there you are." Lucius' voice ruined the image Draco had built himself of Hermione sat in their secret room surrounded by books.

He mentally kicked himself that he had let his guard down around his father, even for a few seconds, before his mental shield was back up.

"I wanted to discuss something with you before you head back off to school tomorrow." Lucius said as he guided them both across to a bench covered in snow, with a swift wave of his wand, the bench cleared and dried, allowing for them to sit down together.

Draco felt uncomfortable by his father's approach. It wasn't very often the two of them sat alone to have a conversation and if ever they did, it never ended well.

"Your mother has told me I have to have a conversation with you about something, I don't want to have this conversation as much as you don't want to either, I don't think it's necessary but she was very insistent and to be quite frank, she scares me a little bit."

Draco scoffed at the idea of his father being scared of his mother, however, it was something he completely understood having been on the receiving end of not one, but two of her notorious death glares over Christmas.

"As I said, trying to have this conversation is very uncomfortable for me, you must understand this."

Draco watched as his father fidgeted in his seat, his discomfort becoming clear to see and it suddenly dawned on him what his father could be trying to tell him.

"You see-"

"Father" Draco interrupted quickly, "We don't need to do this."

"I've already told you, your mother insisted."

"Yes, but we can just pretend we've had this conversation and be done with it, she doesn't have to know."

"Draco, let me just finish what I was saying-"

"Father I don't need to have the sex talk, I already know about it!" he said quickly before his father could finish his sentence.

Draco had never seen his father embarrassed before, but the words he fired out at him had caused the slightest shade of pink to surface on his cheeks as he stared at his son with his mouth open.

"That was not what I wanted to talk to you about." Lucius finally managed to get the words out, speaking slowly, making Draco feel equally as awkward.

"But it's good to know you feel educated enough on that subject at least." the corners of Lucius mouth raised slightly as he formed the closest thing Draco had ever seen to a genuine smile whilst around him.

"Well, that's made what I actually want to say somewhat easier." Lucius began.

"Your mother told me that you are unhappy about the position you are in, the role you've been forced to play in all of this."

"Well it's-"

"Draco let me finish."

Draco closed his mouth immediately at his father's words, a reflex he had gained from years of experience around his father.

"I never planned for you to be in this position. It wasn't until that insufferable Potter child resurfaced and the event that happened in your first year, that I even realised it was a possibility that the Dark Lord may return. Many discussions have been had concerning that topic, never any worth acknowledging. That year everything changed." Lucius turned away from his son and looked out towards the grounds of his property before he spoke once more.

"A decision was made then in haste to get you involved, it isn't fair, I don't like it any more than you do. Having said that, you have the potential to be an exceptional wizard, one that could earn the highest respect off any wizard, even the Dark Lord himself."

"So that's why you want me so involved… If he comes back, you want me to become his right hand man, to gain the glory off him that you could never achieve?" Draco said in disbelief, his tone becoming more stern the further into his sense he reached.

"All anyone ever wants is to be the most powerful wizard known to man. You'd be a fool to think you could overpower him, so what better position to be in than his right hand man?"

"Does mother know about this?!"

"This does not concern your mother."

Draco huffed, shaking his head once more, still unable to believe the words his father was saying to him. He knew his father's plans differed from his mother, but to believe he would want his own son to become right hand to one of the darkest wizards of all time, the risk that would entail, it was something he couldn't quite believe.

"What makes you think you're any closer to bringing him back?"

"Sirius Black." Lucius rose from his seat, ignoring his son's puzzled expression.

"And how is he the missing piece?"

"He isn't the missing piece. The rumours about Sirius being the reason the Potters died all those years ago due to his loyalty to the Dark Lord, are just that, rumours. He didn't serve the Dark Lord. He was a rebel yes, but not for our side."

"Then I don't understand."

"You will, in time." Lucius turned to his son one last time before nodding and leaving him alone again.

Draco remained outside for longer than he had originally planned. He felt as though his father had bombarded him with information he wasn't able to process alone, in that moment he wished to be back at Hogwarts, Hermione would know exactly what to say to make him feel like his whole world wasn't about to change for the worse.

'If it could get any worse' he mumbled to himself before finally retreating back inside to the warmth, wandering on his way whether this would be his last _normal_ Christmas in Malfoy Manor.


	26. Twenty Six

_1994 - Third Year_

The Hogwarts Express pulled in at Hogsmeade station, filled with students who were mostly reluctant to go back after Christmas. Draco on the other hand, had been most eager to get back to school, away from the doom and gloom that was Malfoy Manor.

He stepped off the train, his bag in hand, the harsh winter breeze scratching against his smooth complexion, staring up at the castle. From where he stood he felt as though he could see the room, his room - _their _room. It was impossible of course, but his mind was so focused he could imagine the fire light blazing through the window making it possible for him to see and imagine that Hermione was in there.

'She's probably with Saint Potter and Weasley' his bitter voice echoed inside his head.

"Already miserable that you're back?" Theo asked from beside him.

Draco internally flinched at the sudden appearance of his friend, his absence on the train had not gone unnoticed, to Draco at least. He led the way towards the castle, Theo beside him, slightly ahead of the rest of their Slytherin friends.

"So, any plans for tonight?" Theo asked smugly.

"The usual."

"Ah yes, you'll probably fancy a stroll around the castle in about an hour, give those legs of yours a stretch, maybe go up a few flights of stairs, end up on the seventh floor or something."

Draco never wavered his cool persona, no matter how off guard someone had caught him, continuing his steady pace, he chose not to respond to Theo's not so subtle mention of his family's secret room.

"Am I right, or am I right?" Thoe asked.

"You wouldn't be asking if you were wrong now would you, Theodore?"

"No sir, I would not." He grinned. Theo never required verbal or physical confirmation from anyone to know he was right, as what Draco had said was true, he never made a comment off a hearsay, only when he knew it to be a solid fact. Draco had learnt over the years that if Theo knew something, he would find a way to say it indirectly, that was one of the many reasons Draco liked him, with Theo, what you see is what you get.

"So, how was your Christmas?" He asked Draco, changing the subject.

Another thing he liked, Theo would never push a topic with him, it was moments like these were Draco realised that Theo was actually a better friend than he'd given him credit for.

"Same as always."

"Ah yes, well, the Malfoys always did know how to throw a party for hundreds of guests but more private events… not so much."

Draco chuckled and nodded in agreement, "And yours?"

"Oh mine was magnificent. Father treated me to a trip to the Netherlands so that we could have a snowy Christmas and we played games, ate together and he got me loads of presents," Theo's said over excitedly, clapping his hands with excitement, "it was impossible to open them all in one day, in fact, it took me two whole days, but it didn't bother either of us because we opened them together and spent time bonding as father and son."

"He got drunk and fell asleep before lunch then?"

"He got drunk and fell asleep before lunch."

"Ah to be a son of a Death Eater."

"It's a wonderful life, one to be envious of if not lived."

"Mmm, sure."

"Speaking of which. Any funky Death Eater news to report?"

"No, nothing exciting I'm afraid. Things are slow in comparison to last year."

"And yet, I feel like they're closer than ever to figuring it all out."

Draco turned to his friend and eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out just how much of the Death Eaters plans he knew.

"Father talks in his sleep, probably a side effect from all of the alcohol he consumes."

He nodded at Theo before turning to face forward.

"I'm not Blaise y'know, I'm not going to have a hissy fit whenever you don't tell me something about what happens in those meetings, but I am here should you need someone to talk to about all of this, it's heavy shit, especially for someone our age."

Draco raised an eyebrow at his friend, a lopsided smile formed on his lips before he spoke.

"Do we hug now?"

"Shut up." Theo scoffed, shoving his friend slightly as they walked. "I guess you already have your person to talk to, unless… there's not much talking involved." Theo wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at Draco, it was his turn to do the shoving.

~X~

Theo had been right, within an hour of sitting in the Slytherin common room, Draco was becoming tired of listening to Pansy's dull voice drone on about how wonderful her Christmas was, watching Blaise pine over her and cling onto her every word.

"Pathetic." Theo mimed at Draco.

He smirked at Theo in response and mimed a noose tightening around his neck. His snigger nearly drew attention to their mockery, had Blaise not been so captivated by one self absorbed Pansy, alongside Crabb and Goyle who were falling asleep in their chairs and Daphne with her head in her book, they may have been noticed.

Draco quickly began to feel restless, standing up from his seat, he scanned the group to see who, if any, would have noticed him get up, besides Theo who stretched his legs out from where he sat and winked at his friend, nobody else seemed aware of his movement, Draco shook his head at Theo and headed towards the portrait, unbeknown to anybody else.

He knew as he made his way to the room that Hermione wasn't going to be there, it was the last day before lessons started up again, the last day for her to cram in as much studying as her body was capable of letting her do.

He smiled to himself as he reached the seventh floor, some people disliked that about her, that she was so obsessed with studying, but Draco loved it, almost envied it. He knew how her mind worked, he knew that she did it because she was always hungry for more knowledge, if there was something out there to learn, she needed to have access to it. It was a unique trait, he'd never met anyone like her.

As if on auto pilot, he walked through the veil into the room and spotted his bushy haired Gryfindor friend immediately. Her head snapped up from her book, and she took a fraction of a second to absorb his appearance.

Even out of uniform he dressed in a shirt and trousers, but on this occasion he looked more casual than usual. He wore a black fitted shirt that was untucked from his trousers, his sleeves were rolled up and his top button open. As each year passed, the older he became, the more Hermione could see the attractive young man he was becoming.

Both eyes locked onto each other and without hesitation, stepping over her books, she made her way over to him quickly.

As soon as she reached him, she threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling herself into him as tightly as she could and buried her head in the crook of his neck. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and rested the side of his head on top of hers. He lifted her off the ground briefly, and squeezed her tightly. They had grown so used to each other, he wasn't sure how he would cope if things changed, if their friendship changed.

There was a part of him that knew that day could come, sooner if the Death Eaters succeeded with their efforts, but if they were unsuccessful, they just had to wait until they left school.

Finally, he lowered her to the ground, her feet touching the floor once more and only then did he hear the small sniffles that came from her.

Instantly, he pulled back from her, holding onto her upper arms to keep her in place, he noticed her mouth was twisted, the corner of her lips caught between her teeth and her chin trembled and her eyes welled up with tears.

"What's the matter? What's happened?" he asked quickly, reaching both hands up to cup her face, he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears and waited for her response, growing more and more concerned.

"Nothing, I've just missed you, that's all." she said quietly.

His shoulders relaxed and he smiled down at her before pulling her back in for another hug, this time, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, trapping her hands between their chests and rested his chin on top of her head.

Hermione knew why she was upset, she understood the overwhelming feeling she got when seeing him and knew that after a very lonely Christmas, the chances of her becoming upset when she finally saw him were very high, she had mentally prepared to have this response, she just wished her body wouldn't of betrayed her into crying in front of him.

"I've missed you too." They stood there for another few moments, completely content in their embrace.

"How was your Christmas." Draco asked, being the first to pull away, still not breaking contact as he held onto her hand and led her over to the sofa in front of the already lit fire.

Hermione followed absentmindedly, trying to think of a way to tell him about her Christmas without causing him to dislike her friends even more, but that was impossible without lying.

"I had a fight with Harry and Ron."

Draco grabbed a cushion before he sat down on the sofa, leading Hermione to lay down and rest her head on the cushion he placed on his lap, without thinking he began to thread his fingers through her hair. The whole thing had become a force of habit that neither one questioned.

"Harry received an anonymous gift."

"How odd."

"Exactly, that's what I thought."

"No, I meant how odd someone would want to buy him a gift."

"Draco!" Hermione said before jabbing her elbow into his thigh.

"Sorry, go on." He smiled down at her and continued to run his fingers through her thick curls.

"I've already told you Sirius Black apparently broke out of Azkaban to come after Harry, so once he received this gift, it seemed too good to be true…"

"So you told someone and now he's had it confiscated?"

"I did it for his own good! I was worried it might be cursed and he could hurt himself!"

"Hey, you know me, I'm a stickler for the rules." He winked before continuing, "I'm assuming he wasn't best pleased he had his new toy confiscated then, but why was Weasley pissed?"

"Well.. because the _toy_ was a Firebolt."

"Harry Potter got a Firebolt for Christmas and you had it confiscated off of him." Draco choked in disbelief, "How many times did he get to have a go?"

"He didn't… He only had it for a few hours." Hermione said quietly, looking down at the strand of hair she had been twirling between her fingertips.

"He didn't even get to have a go!?" Draco began to laugh hysterically, which only made Hermione angry. She sat up, facing away from him and pulled her knees up, hugging them tightly to her chest as she frowned.

"Hey - I'm sorry, it's just, that was a pretty amazing gift for someone to get and the fact that he didn't even get to use it yet." He continued to laugh before Hermione huffed, "Ok. I'm sorry. So I take it Weasley is pissed because he also wanted a turn. So what did they say? It must've been a pretty big argument, Christmas was over a week ago."

"Harry told me I was out of order, that I was only thinking about myself and what I wanted."

"Yes, because how selfish of you to think he may have received a broom from a escapee murder that could be jinxed to explode on take off."

"Thank you, that's what I tried to say."

"Potter's supposed to be the calmer head of the two, so go on, what did Weasley have to say?"

Hermione paused for a moment, the last thing Draco needed was more ammunition to hate Ron.

"Can't be worse than anything I've ever said?" Draco tried to prompt her into answering and earned himself a scowl in the meantime.

"It wasn't that bad I guess… he basically said that just because all I do is study and don't know how to have fun doesn't mean I should spoil it for everyone else."

Draco raised one of his eyebrows and twisted his mouth to the side, "who made him the expert of _fun_? Ignore him Hermione, he's just pissed he didn't get to fly a broom he will never be able to afford."

"Draco…" she said softly.

"Don't _Draco_ me, I'm allowed to bad mouth him, he's made you upset, you wouldn't say this if you'd told one of your other friends and they started saying mean things about him."

"No you're right I wouldn't, because they don't already hate him. You do and it makes it different."

"Fine. Well I hope those nitwits come to their senses soon and apologise so you can all kiss and make up."

"You don't really mean that."

"Of course I do. I know how much they mean to you Hermione, they're like family to you, so yes. I want to smash their heads together, for more reasons than one, but right now it would be so they can see that they would be lost without you, because I know I sure would be." he said casually.

Hermione stared at him, wide eyed as she bit her bottom lip to fight down the fresh set of tears that had started to build.

"What?"

"That was the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"I haven't just confessed my undying love for you Hermione." she moved her hand to swat him once more, but he anticipated it and grabbed her wrist.

"However." he said slowly, whilst holding onto her wrist that he used to turn her around so that she was sat on her knees on the sofa, facing towards him.

"I don't know what I would do without you and I hope I never have to find out. I've grown quite used to your bushy hair and bossiness." He teased, causing her to wriggle her arm in his grasp, but it only made him hold tighter.

"You're pretty spectacular Hermione, don't let anyone ever tell you or make you feel any different." He continued, noticing how her face turned red as he spoke and how she fidgeted with her top button, averting her gaze from his. "I know we said we weren't doing Christmas presents, but I didn't listen."

"You wouldn't be you if you did."

"Rude." He said before letting go of her arm and reached into his trouser pocket, pulling out a small bag that fit nicely into the palm of her hand.

"Why do I feel like you've bought me exactly what I told you not."

"Honestly, why do you hate Divination again, you're clearly very good at it."

Hermione scowled at him and looked down at the bag in her hand. With a hesitant sigh, she pulled the bag open and poured out the contents. A sleek silver chain came pouring out of the bag, unravelling on her palm until finally it stopped as the pendant attached to the chain hit her hand. Putting the bag to one side, she used her other hand to pick up the pendant between her fingers tips.

"You should recognise it. It's the same as the dragon outside." Draco said, her eyes flicked between him and the pendent.

The Dragon lay curled up, its body only half an inch with its tail stretched down to a point. The scales on the dragon were mat black and Hermione noticed the dragon was curled around something, upon closer inspection she could see a glimmer of blue beneath its claws that sparkled when the light hit it as she moved the pendant around in her hand.

"It's a Sapphire." Draco explained.

Hermione looked back down at the necklace, in complete awe of its beauty before unclasping the hooks and placed it around her neck, holding up the ends for Draco, which he took happily.

She lifted her hair out of the way and continued to stare at the dragon pendant, observing as it landed against her chest once fastened, the tip of the dragon's tail stopping half an inch above her cleavage.

She lay back down and rested her head once more on the pillow on Draco's lap, holding the pendant between her finger tips, never taking her eyes off of it.

"Do you like it?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, thank you - yes I love it. It's beautiful! You really shouldn't have though."

"Well I did, plus, I haven't even shown you the best bit yet."

She let the pendent fall back against her chest and gave him a puzzled look.

He reached beneath his shirt slightly and pulled a silver chain of his own out, it was much thicker than Hermione's and had no pendant, and yet the plainness of the necklace didn't make it any less beautiful than hers.

"The silver used to make your Dragon and my chain was forged in Dragon's blood, from the same dragon, making them linked. Don't worry, no Dragons were killed in the making of these pieces of jewelry, think of it as blood donation."

"From a poor defenceless animal that has no way of saying no?"

"Really Hermione… we are talking about a Dragon remember?"

"Ah, yes I suppose. Ok, continue."

"So the way they are made and the fact that they're linked means, we can communicate through them," He explained.

"I could send you a message? How?"

"Not a message as such. Whenever you want to come here and see me, your necklace will send a signal to mine, alerting me that you want me to meet you here, and vice versa."

He picked up his chain that hung just below his collar bone and held onto it, within a few short seconds, Hermione gasped as she felt her Dragon Pendant heat up against her chest. Both sets of eyes were on the dragon, soon enough Draco felt his eyes carry on wandering below where the necklace lay.

'This could be a problem.' He thought to himself.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, causing his eyes to flick back to hers.

"Just hold it and think about this place, me, how you want to see me."

Hermione picked up her pendent as Draco let go of his chain. She thought about their secret room and Draco, her favourite place with quite possibly her favourite person.

"Now mine's heating up." Draco grabbed her hand and placed it over his chest where she could feel the chain on her fingers heating up.

"That's amazing." She said excitedly.

"I thought you might like it. A beautiful and clever gift for a beautiful and clever girl." Draco said with a small smile, earning himself a grin from Hermione.

"I don't know why you pretend to be so cold, you're really quite charming."

Draco cleared his throat, propped his collar and attempted to smoulder before he turned back to Hermione, lowering his voice slightly when he spoke.

"I have a reputation to uphold."

She couldn't help but laugh as he tried to play cool in front of her, it was so alien to see him be that way around her.

"I'm only this way with you Hermione." He said, with a more serious tone in his voice.

"Well I'm glad you are, I don't think I could deal with Mr Cool all the time." She giggled before folding his collar back down.

"I should also point out that the heat these necklaces kick out intensifies the more one person wants to meet."

"So what you're saying is, if I urgently need to see you it'll be scorching?"

"Correct."

"Interesting. You know, you always manage to get me the best gifts, I'm yet to get you something."

"I don't want anything."

"Neither did I and yet here we are." Hermione shot him a disapproving look. Although she loved the gifts he had gotten her, she knew this one hadn't been cheap.

"Ok, if you want to give me something you can."

"Why does that sound like you're going to ask me to do something I don't want to do."

"I think you'd be lying if you said you didn't want to do this."

"Is that so. Then tell me Draco, what gift do you want me to give you?"

He paused for a moment, such an open ended question with hundreds of answers he could provide her with. A smile danced across his lips as he stared into her mahogany eyes, time slowed down for them while his heart raced.

"To go flying, that's what you want isn't it?" She asked, causing his concentration to falter slightly.

His moment of bravery, the brief time he had taken to psych himself up to ask for something else, something he truly desired, that moment quickly wilted as he stood up to retrieve his broom from beside the fireplace.

"Of course."

"I'm going to hide that broom one day, or at least make sure it never finds its way back to this room."

"Stop pretending you hate it, you love being in the sky. Any excuse to get my arms around you." His wink, his false confidence caused Hermione to blush furiously.

"I think you should go at the front this time." She huffed, her embarrassment clear.

"Oh I see, you want to put your arms around me this time." He teased her further.

Hermione sighed and threw her arms up in the air, the laugh Draco had been holding in escaped from his lips, eventually causing her to smile back at him.

"Are we doing this or what?"

"As you wish." He smirked once more at her and allowed for her to mount the broom, hopping on behind her.

He snaked his hand around her waist causing her breathing to hitch slightly. The internal battle he had to have with himself when they climbed on a broom together, just to keep his hormones in check, was almost enough to make him avoid the whole thing, but no matter how much he had to concentrate on controlling himself, no matter the struggle, it was always worth it to him.

~X~

"That flee bag is responsible!" Ron spat whilst throwing cushions around the Gryffindor common room.

"Come on mate, I don't think the cat would actually-"

"Harry! You've seen that - THING, the way he's being attacking Scabbers."

"Yes, but-"

"It's killed him, I just know it has." Ron whimpered before falling into the de-cushioned sofa.

"Maybe he's just lost, he used to wander off all the time, your mum's forever telling you not to lose him." Harry tried to comfort his friend, but the blank expression he received in response said enough, he wasn't interested in being comforted.

The portrait leading to the Gryffindor common room swung open, Harry flinched slightly as he saw Hermione walking further into the common room, her eyes facing towards the floor, something she had started to do once they had become distant with her in order for her to avoid eye contact. Every time she walked past, Harry wanted to say something, apologise, ask her how her Christmas was, anything.

For the first time since their fight, he found that he didn't want to notice that it was her, through fear of how Ron would react in his current state.

"What?" Ron asked, leaning forward on the sofa where he faced Harry, with his back towards the entrance to the common room.

Before Harry had a chance to respond and potentially distract him long enough to prevent another explosion, Ron twisted in his seat and followed his friend's line of sight.

"You!" Ron jumped from his seat, his rage burning brighter than before.

Hermione stood across the room from him, dumbfounded and speechless. She glanced at Harry who wore an apologetic look on his face, holding his hands in the air.

"Yes, Ronald?" She said slowly, clear disinterest in her voice.

"Scabber's is missing! Are you happy now! Your monster finally did it."

"I don't understand, did what?"

"KILLED HIM!" Ron snapped, causing Hermione to flinch and Harry to move forward slightly, still not enough to intervene completely Hermione noticed.

"And you know this how?"

"I just do." Ron stuttered.

"Oh well on that thesis, please let me offer you my sincere apologies." The sarcasm in her voice caused both Harry and Ron to raise their eyebrows in disbelief and look at one another.

Neither of the two had ever experienced sarcasm from Hermione, their expressions reminded her that she wasn't talking to Draco and perhaps his sarcastic tendencies were rubbing off on her.

"Aren't you going to at least pretend to care?"

"I do care Ronald. I just don't care for my CAT to be falsely accused."

"You can't tell me you've not noticed it attacking Scabbers over the past few weeks!"

"Yes, but-"

"Exactly! That says it all! It kill-"

"SHUT UP!" Hermione yelled, dropping her bag on the floor, her voice echoed through the common room and caused the few heads that were pretending not to be listening to turn completely, gawping faces watched as Hermione unraveled.

"You don't get to speak to me like that Ron!" Ron's face fell at the use of his informal name, he'd grown familiar with Hermione being the only person to use his full name, other than his parents when he was in trouble, something that had once bothered him that soon became normality.

"You haven't spoken to me in over a month, I had to spend Christmas break completely alone because my two best friend's decided not to speak to me over a broomstick. A BROOMSTICK!"

Harry winced at the reminder of their argument, a frown formed on his face as he looked down at the ground, unable to look at Hermione directly.

"_Clearly _our friendship didn't mean nearly half as much to you as it did to me because I would never stop speaking to you over a bloody stick, you would have to do something big, and I mean HUGE for me to have cut you off like you did me. As for Scabbers, I am truly sorry to hear that he is missing, I really am. But I promise you, Crookshanks had nothing to do with it and if I hear you accusing him once more, so help me Ron," Her threat was empty, they all knew it, but the simple fact that she had made it had the desired effect.

Her rant had left them both speechless, them and the rest of the common room sat in silence, the only noise came from Hermione's erratic breathing as she tried to calm herself. Realisation of what she had just done kicked in around 5 seconds after she had finished and embarrassment started to wave over her.

Before she let it consume her entirely, she picked up her bag and ran towards the stairs, climbing them as quickly as she could, each step echoed through the deadly silent common room until she reached her dorm and slammed the door behind her.

Harry stepped back into the table before leaning against it, still trying to process what Hermione had just said.

"I think we were too hard on her." Harry mumbled to himself.

"Too hard on her! Are you kidding! Are we just going to forget that Scabbers is missing and likely dead?" Ron huffed before heading up the stairs to the boys dormitory, leaving Harry behind.

"Drama drama drama." George sang whilst he made his way to Harry's side.

"My my Harry, what _are_ you going to do?" Fred was on his other side before he'd finished his sentence.

George gave Harry a slight pat on the back before he wandered off upstairs, no doubt to torment his youngest brother further, Fred turned to Harry and shrugged his shoulders, making his way towards the stairs before stopping and turning to Harry once more.

"She's right y'know."

"When isn't she?" Harry sighed, causing both boys to laugh.

"She will remember this Christmas for a long time and if I were her, I wouldn't be so forgiving."

"Well, in that case, I'm glad you're not her." Harry pushed himself off the table he'd been leaning against and moved towards the sofa's, he knew going to bed now would mean having to listen to Ron for at least another hour, so he decided for the sake of his ears and perhaps his sanity, it was safer for him to stay downstairs a short while longer.

"Oh but it is my life long dream to wear dresses and have long bushy hair."

"Really? I thought it was to own a Joke shop?"

"Uniforms Harry, we need uniforms." He winked at Harry before turning on his heels and heading upstairs, leaving Harry by himself in the common room.

The noise of a door opening came from upstairs, causing Harry to tense slightly in anticipation to see who the noise was caused by. After a moment's silence had passed Hemrione emerged from the archway at the bottom of the stairs, looking flustered once she noticed Harry was still in the common room.

She turned quickly from his gaze and began to head out of the common room, when Harry rose from the sofa and stood in front of her. He'd been lying to himself over the past month, trying to convince himself he hadn't missed her nearly as much as he felt, he knew she had been right to do what she did, but his pride got the better of him.

"Can we talk?" His voice sounded so family to Hermione. It was no longer the harsh tones of a former friend, his sweet, raspy voice that she loved to listen to had returned and she felt warm once again, even before hearing whatever he had to say, she knew her friend was back.

Harry gestured towards the sofas by the now dimly lit fire where the two of them sat facing towards each other, Hermione remained silent, waiting for Harry to speak first.

"I'm going to make it quick because this is uncomfortable for the both of us - I'm sorry, I was a Jerk at Christmas and I've been an even bigger one since. I was annoyed yes, but even after a day or so, once I'd calmed down, I knew you were just looking out for me, but you were so difficult to even find to apologise to, a week had gone by and I just found it more and more difficult to say anything. I should have said something, I should have looked for you and said something and I'm sorry. Please tell me it's not too late to ask for your forgiveness?" Harry spoke quickly in one lengthy breath, panting once he finished the end of his speech.

Hermione stared at him, her face expressionless, something she had learnt from Draco in attempts to get her blushing under control, but in this instance she mostly did it to make Harry squirm a little, the silence was becoming unbearable for him until she found herself unable to sit there any longer and leave him without a response.

"Of course it isn't too late." She stated and noticed Harry physically relax, but it was short-lived once she started to continue.

"I won't lie to you though Harry, you really hurt me. You and Ronald are my family, you mean the world to me, so to see for my own eyes that feeling isn't mutual-"

"It is Hermione, believe me it is. You are the closest thing to a sister I have ever and will ever have. Which is probably why it pissed me off so much that you went to McGonagall, we're a team. You see it all the time with Ron and his siblings, they fight and fall out."

"They fall out for about 4 hours tops, not a month."

"I know Hermione, I'm sorry." Harry said once more, she noticed his apologetic look closely resembled 'puppy dog eyes' and she remembered now why she had never been able to stay mad at him for very long.

Hermione felt the corner of her mouth lifting up into a small smile, that was the non-verbal confirmation that Harry needed to know she wasn't mad at him anymore.

"Besides," He continued with an attempt to lighten the mood, "with those guys, all someone needs to do is bring food and all is forgotten."

It had worked, Hermione found herself laughing along with Harry and it continued for hours as they both discussed everything they had each missed out on over the Christmas holidays, without another mention of their fight.

**Author Note:**

I'm only 4 chapters away from heading into 4th year! I'm super excited to write about 4th year, but there's still a few key points in this year I have yet to cover. I hope you're all still enjoying this story, I know I'm dragging it out, keep the comments coming and thanks again for reading!


	27. Twenty Seven

_1994 – Third Year_

"We still won though, so the jokes on them!" Harry boasted to his fellow Gryffindors in their common room. Despite an attempt from Slytherin to sabotage the Gryffindor team by scaring their seeker, Harry had still successfully caught the Golden Snitch before Cho Chang, Ravenclaw's Seeker, winning the game for Gryffindor.

"And those smarmy bastards got detention!" Fred sang, the room erupted with cheers all around at the news of the Slytherins who attempted to distract Harry having to suffer through detention.

Harry laughed at the at the happiness it brought his housemates knowing their rival house were being punished. These were always his favourite kind of moments, just after a quidditch match they had won, the common room was filled with extasy, students were celebrating together, even those who didn't enjoy Quidditch, everyone laughing and getting along, nothing worried them and nothing could dampen their mood, everyone was happy.

'Almost everyone.' He thought to himself as he looked towards Hermione who sat glumly beside Ginny. Harry made his way over to the sofa where the girls sat and plonked himself beside Hermione, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

She noticeably winced at the action as she felt his arm draped around her shoulder, he had after all, played a full match of Quidditch earlier that day and was yet to change out of his kit.

"What's the matter Mione?" he asked whilst squeezing his hand against her shoulder.

"Well Harry… you smell." The shock on Harry's face caused both girls to laugh hysterically, only deepening the crimson glow that was forming across his cheeks.

"Rude. But, that's not what I meant, and you know it."

Hermione's laughter died down a little as her eyes flickered towards Ron, who was in the middle of having an eating contest with Shamus.

"Don't let Ron's disgusting food habits get you down." Harry joked, causing Ginny to chuckle whilst Hermione scowled at him. With a more serious tone, he sat up and continued.

"He will get there in the end. He just needs to realise all by himself what an idiot he's being, he won't see it if others are pointing it out." Harry comforted his friend once more, she smiled back, ever so slightly, not entirely convinced Harry was right.

~X~

"Don't pout Draco, it doesn't suit you." Hermione teased, earning herself a scowl, if looks could kill, he'd have hit her with a killing curse from halfway across the room.

"I hate detention."

"You didn't seem to hate it so much in first year."

"That's because I was with you, this is different, there's no way it will be fun."

"If you hate detention so much, start playing by the rules."

"Pot Kettle Black, Granger."

"Hey, I play by the rules, _Malfoy._" Draco's face relaxed from a scowl as he smirked at playful mood Hermione was in.

"Either way, you brought it on yourself and it is what it is, so stop whining like a baby and deal with it." Hermione teased him some more as she fiddled with the strand of grass she held between her fingers.

With that, Draco rose from the rock he had perched himself on beside the Black Lake and made his way towards Hermione.

Her face fell as she saw him gaining on her with intent, the light of the half-moon hit the sharp features on his face causing shadows beneath his eye and cheeks, making visible to her the mischievous look in his eyes, there wasn't even a small part of her that wanted to know what he was planning to do. She quickly stood up off the patch of grass she was sprawled out along and started to turn away from him when she felt his hand clasp firmly around her arm.

Using the arm he had a hold of, he pulled her towards him as he crouched and quickly enough to throw her over his shoulder as she let out a small squeal. It took just a few short seconds to figure out the direction he was going in - towards the lake.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy! If you put me anywhere _near _that lake, I'll-"

"You'll what? I'm not quite ready to stop acting like a _baby _so I figured my last act needs to be epic."

"Throwing me in the lake is not epic, it's stupid, and you're only putting yourself in danger!"

"You're not going to hurt me for throwing you in a lake, Hermione." He chuckled as he reached the edge. The water was not deep where he stood, but he could already feel how cold it was without touching it, the corner of his mouth pulled up to a slight grin, proud of himself for having thought of the idea to throw her in the lake.

"Do you think so?" She said quietly, before an idea sprung to mind. "Because I'd put money on me hurting your manly hood." She threatened, her last attempt to remain dry.

She felt him spin on his heals beneath her, resulting in her now facing the lake, the frosty air that loomed over the surface brushed softly against her cheeks. He pulled her from his shoulders and placed her firmly on the ground, a weary look spread across his face.

"You wouldn't dare…" said Draco, unable to believe his own words.

It took every ounce of self-control to keep a serious look on her face, but not before long her face faltered.

"No Draco, I wouldn't. _But_, you did threaten to throw me in the Ice cold lake."

"I knew you wouldn't, you couldn't. You don't have it in you to be that cruel, leave that to me." He said, smugness written across his face as he shrugged his shoulders at her, moving his hands from protecting himself below to folding his arms across his chest.

Hermione didn't want to be cruel, so she wasn't exactly offended by what he had said to her. He had, however, successfully pushed enough buttons to warrant an arguably equally childish reaction to his own.

With an innocent smile on her face, she pretended to agree with his statement, edging closer to him she watched as his expression began to change. Placing her hands on his folded arms, slightly squeezing them, she craned her neck to look up at him properly. She could see the moment he had become unaware of his surroundings, solely fixated on what was going to happen next. Before he had chance to do anything, Hermione tightened the grip she held on his arms and used everything she had inside of her to push him backward whilst swiftly moving one of her feet to hook around the back of his, causing him to tumble backwards.

Hermione's hands shot to her mouth instantly, both to hide her half smile and to cover her shock in her own actions. The water would have probably only measured up to Draco's knees had he stood in the lake, but instead, he was sat with his arms out stretched and his knees bent, nearly completely under the water except for his head and shoulders.

The shock Hermione was feeling did not compare to what Draco was feeling, although his face was entirely unreadable to her. For a few short seconds he remained in the lake until finally he stood, water dripping off him heavily, the heat from his body reacting with the sheer artic temperature of the lake caused steam to omit from his body. He trudged slowly over to Hermione without a word, not wanting to startle her, other wise she would flee.

Frozen on the spot, Hermione could not bring herself to react to what she had just done. She wasn't sure whether or not to laugh or apologise. Before she decided Draco had lunged for her and threw her over his shoulder once more, she knew no amount of pleading would stop him this time so instead she wriggled on his shoulder and squealed for him to let her go, trying to make it as difficult as possible for him.

"I sure hope you can swim." Where the last words she heard before she felt his grip release her and she hit the water.

He had thrown her further into the lake, just deep enough that she wasn't able to stand, resulting in her being completely submerged beneath the lake. Rising to the surface, she gasped for air, the bitter chill of the water tightened around her chest, restricting her breathing.

Draco couldn't decide if it was his body reacting to his wet clothes or the look of panic on Hermione's face that caused his body to go numb, but his quick reaction resulted in him running in after her. He reached her almost immediately and cradled her in his arms, he swiftly walked out of the water and sat on the floor with Hermione bundled up in his arms as he reached for his wand.

"Incendio." He muttered, pointing at some broken branches from a tree that lay beside them.

"I'm sorry, I don't know any heating spells." He told her before he started to move his hands up and down her shoulders In attempts to warm her quicker. He could feel her whole body shaking in his arms, the noise of her teeth chattering together drowned out the crackling of the fire beside them, but soon enough her shivering lessened and she gained control over her mouth once more.

"It's a bit chilly in there." Hermione said quietly, a burst of deep loud hearty laughter erupted from Draco. He smiled down at her and pulled her into his chest closely, resting his head on top of hers as he watched the fire.

"It's getting late. I should imagine everyone has gone to bed by now, we should probably head back to the castle." He told her with regret. This was easily his least favourite moments with Hermione, when they had to go off to their separate groups, pretending their friendship didn't exist, acting as though they mean nothing to each other.

"Lets just stay a little while longer, to dry off some more." She suggested and hugged herself closer into him.

Draco shuffled backwards an inch and positioned himself again the rock he had been sat on top of earlier in the evening and rested himself against it, even on his best day, this was not something he could refuse.

~X~

It was close to dawn before Hermione found her way back to the common room. The pair had fallen asleep watching the fire together, the soothing noise and heat made for a comfortable enough setting that neither could fight off the tiredness that grew from their Black Lake antics.

As the portrait door closed behind her, Hermione felt a shift in the atmosphere, like something dangerous was waiting for her deeper in the common room. She walked with caution, without making a sound, her eyes darted around the common room, but nothing suspicious seemed to be occurring.

She continued her journey through the common room, entering her dorm where her fellow house mates remained asleep. Falling onto her bed, still fully clothed and slightly damp, she felt her the heaviness in her eyes overcome her as she began to drift once more.

Just as she felt herself falling into a deep slumber, the sound of a scream echoed through the dorm room. Lavender Brown rose from her bed immediately, eyes wide and alert as she scanned the room. Hermione shot up out of bed and headed towards the door which she swung open to find the noise had come from the boy's dormitory.

"Harry, I promise, it was him, it was Sirius Black!" Ron yelled frantically.

"Did he say Sirius Black?!" Parvati asked sleepily as she pulled herself to an upright position in her bed.

"Look at the curtains and tell me that!" Ron argued, clearly in response to Harry's disbelief. The door to the boy's dormitory opened, Ron walking out with haste, Harry and Shamus followed closely behind.

Hermione mouthed a question of what was happened to Harry who shrug in response as he followed Ron down the stairs sleepily.

The paintings in the Gryffindor common room worked quickly as the portrait from the entrance swung open to reveal McGonagall, still wearing her night coat looking very flustered from her journey to the common room.

"What seems to be the cause for all this commotion?" McGonagall demanded.

"Sirius Black tried to bloody kill me, that's what." Ron blurted out.

Professor McGonagall stared at Ron with nothing but confusing plastered across her face, her want for more information evident in her silence.

"I woke up and he was trying to get past the curtains to my bed, he shredded them and I could hear him snarling and snapping. Go look for yourself if you don't believe me."

McGonagall made her way up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, only to discover that the drapes that surrounded Ron's beds were in complete ruins. She quickly turned on her heal and marched back down the starts to the entrance of the common room, but before she left entirely she stopped and faced the Knight in the portrait.

"Sir Codogan, did you let anyone into the Gryffindor common room late last night or early this morning?"

"Yes, but nobody who shouldn't have had access." The Knight responded.

Hermione, who had descended the stairs not longer after Harry had, was overwhelmed with panic as she heard the Knight speak. She had not intended to need an excuse as to why she was entering the dorm at such an early hour and the Knight in the portrait was just about to force her into having to come up with one.

"Who?" McGonagall asked impatiently.

"Miss Granger arrived around 30 minutes ago." He explained, McGonagall's eyes darted to Hermione, judgement dripping from them, however no blame evident in her glare. Although she was unaware as to the reasons for Hermione being out of bed at such a time, she knew she was not careless enough to have let in an intruder.

"And who else?"

"Well, there was a man who arrived just a few moments before Miss Granger."

"Did this man look familiar?"

"Well… No Madam, he did not. But he did have the list of passwords to the common room."

"Thank you Sir Codogan, I shall be speaking to you again shortly no doubt."

McGonagall walked back into the Gryffindor common room, this time to be greeted with nearly all of the Gryffindor students who where now out of bed waiting for an update.

"It seems there was in fact an intruder in the common room this morning, who gained access through a misplaced list of passwords. If someone would like to come forward later today to confess to such a foolish act, you know where to find me."

She already had her suspicions on who had lost their list but knew it would do no good to humiliate him in front of everyone when the tensions where so high already.

"Extra security measures are going to be put into place, along with restrictions of curfews and travelling around the castle alone. I will go speak to Professor Dumbledore so that I can find out exactly what they're going to be. Miss Granger, could you follow me please."

Hermione followed her professor out of the Gryffindor common room and into the corridor, only when the portrait closed behind them did McGonagall begin her lecture.

"These are dangerous time we are living in Miss Granger, there is a killer on the loose, you better have a good explanation for being out of bed and wandering around the castle so early by yourself." McGonagall demanded.

Hermione knew she couldn't say the real reason as to why she was out of bed, although the professor may understand why she was having to keep her Slytherin friend a secret, that didn't warrant her being out of bed all night.

"No professor, I don't have a good enough reason. I wanted to get to the library before everyone else, I never considered the danger." Hermione lied, something she had had to do more times than she had liked over the years.

McGonagall's face softened before she spoke again, "I understand that you are taking your studies very seriously Miss Granger, you would not have been trusted with the Time Turner otherwise. However, this was reckless of you and you do need to think about your actions in the future, _before _not after. I am going to have to deduct 20 points from Gryffindor for this I'm afraid. In the future, use the common room. It's just as quiet and I'm sure the schools house elves would happy fetch you whatever you needed from the library."

Hermione decided it was not the time or the place to voice her opinion on the use of House Elves for such a menial task, instead she bit her tongue and nodded at her professor before heading back into the common room.

"Here she is." Fred Weasley announced once he spotted Hermione entering the room.

"The dirty stop out." George added, earning himself a scowl from Hermione and his twin.

"So, why_ were_ you out so early?" Fred asked.

"Or so late?" George winked.

"I was studying, I wanted peace and quiet, but I needed the library."

"See, I told you it wasn't anything untoward." Fred told his twin who rolled his eyes, disappointed and no longer interested, he moved across the room to his younger brother to hear the story of his _near-death_ experience once more.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked, moving along the sofa to make room for her.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"I can't imagine there was much time between you arriving and Sirius arriving, did you not see him?"

Hermione shook her head, only now realising that she could've come face to face with the man that was responsible in aiding in the death of one of her closest friends parents. A shiver ran down her spine and the fine hairs all over her body stood on end.

"I'm fine, honest, I'm just tired."

Harry examined his friend closely, he knew when she was lying, but he knew she never lied without good reason.

~X~

"So, why _were_ you late this morning?" Ginny asked Hermione as they travelled back to the common room together after supper. One of the new security measures that had been put into place after the second attack by Sirius Black was that no students were allowed to travel the corridors alone.

"It's like I said, I was-"

"At the library, yes, I heard. But I don't believe that, because I know you too well. I also know you've been up to something." Ginny said, giving her friend a knowing look.

Hermione rolled her eye in response and said nothing to either confirm or deny her friends suspicions. As they stepped off from the moving stairs and reached the common room, Hermione felt her necklace burn beneath her robs, with the new restrictions having been put in place earlier that day, Hermione wasn't sure it was the best idea to go to their secret room so soon after she had already been docked house points.

"I've just remembered, I've forgotten something at the library, I'm just going to pop back and get it." Hermione told Ginny. She decided this could be the last time for a while that she may get to see him and the earlier in the evening the less dangers could be lurking.

"In the Library?" Ginny asked sceptically. "I'll come with you."

"No its fine, I'll only be quick."

Ginny smirked at her friend and nodded before walking through the portrait into the common room. With a quick glance around, Hemione checked to see if the coast was clear before she ran up the stairs to the seventh floor.

"Did you run all the way here?" Draco chuckled as Hermione stumbled into the room, panting beside the chair she leant against.

"I didn't want to risk being caught, I've already lost Gryffindor 20 points today for being out of bed past hours."

"You were caught?" Draco asked, his complexion paled slightly.

Hermione allowed herself a few moments to catch her breath as she walked over to the window and sat down, Draco following closely behind.

"I arrived just a few moments after Sirius arrived. He must've already been in the boys dormitory when I entered the common room. Its weird because, I felt like something was off, I just could put my finger on it."

"So it's true then, Ron was attacked."

"Yes and no. The drapes around his bed were the only things harmed, but yes, Sirius Black did break into the Gryffindor common room. What I can't figure out is though, is why he targeted Ron when Harry is supposed to be who he is after."

Draco suddenly realised that he hadn't yet told Hermione about his discovery over Christmas, the conversation he had with his father on this very topic.

"I'm not entirely sure that's true." Draco started. "On my last night at the manor before I returned back to Hogwarts after Christmas, my father and I had a conversation where he mentioned Sirius."

Draco re-positioned himself to get more comfortable as he explained, Hermione remained still and focused on every word.

"He said that the rumours about Sirius being responsible for the Potter death was just rumours, nothing more. He said he never fought for the Dark Lords side."

"But that doesn't make any sense, why was he blamed if he didn't do it?"

"I'm not sure."

"I don't understand." Hermione mumbled, mostly to herself as she tried to piece together the bits of knowledge she had on the subject, to form some sort of sense out of it all.

"Me neither, and that's what I told father. All he said was 'You will, in time."

"Well I definitely don't like the sound of that."

"That makes two of us." Draco agreed.

"I'm just trying to figure out what Sirius' motive is for breaking into the castle if not to attack Harry."

"Maybe he's after someone else. Like you said, it was Weaslebees bed who was destroyed."

"Mmm… he could've been looking for something else rather than someone."

"Have you spoken to Weasley about it?"

"No, he still isn't speaking to me. I spoke to Hagrid about it a while back and he told me to just ignore him and he will apologise in his own time."

"He doesn't deserve your forgiveness waiting this long if you ask me."

"Well then, it's a good job I didn't" She said with a wink.

~X~

"Hagrid, I know that I need to be careful, Mr Weasley has given me the run through already." Harry whined as he sat beside Ron in Hagrid's hut.

He knew when the letter arrived inviting him and Ron down to his hut for tea and cake, it would mean pretending to enjoy his infamous rock cake whilst listening to his lectures on their rule breaking antics.

"You'd do well to listen to him Harry." Hagrid said judgingly, handing over a cake each to both boys.

"And how're yer doin after the attack Ron?"

"Fine, he didn't get to me fortunately. I'm just not sure why he attacked my bed when Harry's supposed to be the one he's after."

"I suppose Hermione has some theory's on that." Hagrid wasn't a very observant man, but he'd have to be blind to not see the looks exchanged between Harry and Ron at the mention of Hermione's name.

"Wa's goin on?" He asked, Ron bowed his head as Harry looked at him for a response to Hagrid's questions, when one didn't come, Harry took it on himself to answer.

"Ron still isn't speaking to Hermione."

"You wasn't either until about a week ago!" Ron interjection, as though his words defended his actions.

"Yer still fightin? And whys that?" Hagrid huffed.

"Well…" Harry started, a little embarrassed as he spoke. "I received a Firebolt at Christmas-"

"Blimey Harry! That's a gift n'alf, who got yer that?"

"That's the thing, I'm not sure. Hermione thought it was suspicious."

"And so she should, especially at a time like this."

"I know, but at the time, I didn't see it that way. She told McGonagall and I had it confiscated."

"Not to mention her cat killed Scabbers!" Ron interjected, with an eye roll from Harry before he continued.

"I now know that it was stupid of me to stop speaking to her, I've apologised since however, Ron still has his issues."

"Because Scabbers is dead!"

"And how d'ye know that?" Hagrid asked bluntly, with a tone neither Harry or Ron had witnessed from him before, Ron's cheeks shone red before he answered.

"I haven't seen him since before Christmas and that cat was always after him."

"So, what yer sayin is, he's missin?"

Ron couldn't bring himself to answer, instead he nodded and bowed his head down, preparing for Hagrid's next words.

"I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats." Hagrid said, and with that, both boys felt more guilt over their fight with Hermione than they had all together over the last couple of months.

Hagrid rose from his seat and wandered over to the fireplace to check on the teapot. Ron turned to Harry and sighed in defeat, having just received a telling off from the person he thought least likely to ever give him one, he was finally able to see the error of his ways.

"I need to speak to Hermione. To apologise."

**Author Note:**

Sorry this is a small chapter, It's the next chapter I'm most looking forward to, I just needed to tie off some loose ends in this one. I hope you're all still enjoying it and I haven't lost any of you on the way. Also - I've recently had some art work done for me by the amazingly talented Avendell, which means I now officially have a cover for my story! So check it out, its just as I imagined.


	28. Twenty Eight

_1994 – Third Year_

Hermione wandered through the castle, absent minded of her surroundings, completely lost in her thoughts - her daydreams. She walked with a grin plastered upon her face, oblivious to how goofy she probably looked to anyone who saw her.

She wasn't even sure why she felt so happy, nothing in particular had happened to make is so, but is was the prospect of something that could happen that filled her stomach with butterflies.

As she climbed off the last flight of stairs and made her way down the long winding corridor ahead of her, she though back to her last conversation with Draco, almost 2 nights ago.

_"Are Theo and Daphne a thing then?" Hermione asked Draco as he played with a strand of her hair. _

_They sat together in their usual spot, at their favourite place, watching the sun set over Hogwarts out of the window to their room. Hermione lay curled up beside Draco, her head rested on his chest, moving with each calming breath he took. _

_"I'm not sure, I haven't really asked." Draco responded with a clear lack of interesting in the conversation. _

_"He's your friend, is he not?" _

_"Yes I suppose he is – but like I've said before, my friends are different to yours. We don't really talk about our feelings." _

_"Hmm… I just think it's a bit odd. They're sneaking around the castle together, clearly hiding what they have, you're his friend and you haven't once thought to ask." _

_"Nope." _

_"Strange." _

_"You seem very invested in their relationship, why don't you ask them?" _

_"Yes, because that would go down swimmingly. 'Hey guys, I know you hate me and my kind, but I just wandered, are you guys in a relationship of just hooking up?' I can imagine it now." She mocked. _

_"Good point… besides, Theo might think your jealous." _

_"Of what!? Him?" Hermione sat up on her seat, turning to stare at him in disbelief._

_Draco shuffled slightly, displeased by her movement away from, instantly feeling a chill once her body disconnected from his. _

_"Perhaps." He answered, with a smirk forming before he continued, "Or simply that you don't have someone to run around, hiding behind closed doors with." _

_"Well that's simply not true is it." She responded, with an overconfident wink. _

_"Yes but its not the same is it. My point was that you're not off hiding in supply cupboards locking lips with someone." _

_"True." Hermione said with a faint blush approaching her cheeks. The more time she had spent with Draco, the more hours she had put into learning how to hid her emotions, the better she had gotten in preventing her cheeks from turning a familiar shade of crimson around anyone. The ironic this was that it had become easier with everyone else, aside from Draco himself. _

_"I'm different though." She added before she moved to the other side of the window seat to sit opposite him. _

_"How so?"_

_"I wouldn't just do that, not with anyone at least. They may have feelings for each other but something tells me that its just hormones that are fuelling their desire, not any real interest. Why else would they want to hide it, I highly doubt either of their families would disapprove, their friends wouldn't care, clearly, so why else hide it unless they didn't really see it going anywhere, its all just for fun." _

_"So then why are you different? Wouldn't you want to have a little fun?"_

_"Its not that I'm opposed to having fun, its that… Well…" No amount of practice could stop Hermione from blushing furiously as she tried to get her words out, thoroughly embarrassed by what she was trying to admit._

_"I wouldn't want my first kiss to be just for fun. I wouldn't want my first experience of relationship to be some way to pass time." _

_She turned her gaze away from Draco as she spoke, unable to maintain eye contact, she instead looked out of the window towards the Dark Forest. Silence broke out between the two of them, making Hermione feel more embarrassed by the second that she had admitted she had never been kissed. _

_Not before long, she had regretted opening her mouth entirely, when eventually Draco cleared his throat and finally responded. _

_"You shouldn't be ashamed to never have kissed someone, Hermione." _

_"I'm not ashamed." She answered quickly, still keeping her face angled away from him, her brows furrowed. _

_"Well embarrassed then, clearly your something otherwise you would look at me and your face wouldn't be the colour of your Gryffindor badge."_

_Hermione sighed and turned to face him, her face slightly more relaxed, she expected him to have a smirk or an expression of humour on his face, to be mocking her slightly, but instead she found his face more serious with understanding. _

_"I'm not ashamed." She said more calmly this time, "but yes, I am embarrassed to be talking about it. You've got a bit of a reputation for yourself and its difficult to admit to someone like that, well, I haven't." _

_"A reputation you say, with the ladies?" He teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively and winking at her. _

_Hermione scowled with a huff, folding her arms across her chest before she turned to look outside once more. _

_"Hermione, tell me, this reputation of mine, does it include girls from this school?" _

_Hermione nodded in response but said nothing, keeping her eyes fixated on the view outside. _

_"Supply cupboards, wandering off at parties, breaking hearts? All that stuff?" _

_She nodded once more, growing more and more fed up with the direction of the conversation. _

_"So, what I want to know, is how I have time to be second to you in all my classes, aside from potions of course. Play as Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, maintain some sort of friendship with the few Slytherins I can tolerate, then spend all of my free time with you, nearly every night, and still manage to break all these girls hearts and find myself in supply cupboards." _

_Hermione's shoulders relaxed, she bowed her head and turned to face him. Keeping her head low she looked up through her lashes towards him. She hadn't realised that he had sat forward slightly, resting his hands on the bottom her legs, the corner of his mouth curled up into a small smile. _

_"They're just rumours Hermione. Pureblood girls can be so fickle when rejected, they'll say anything to make it seem as though they haven't actually been rejected. It may shock you to know this, but I've never kissed anyone either. It also may make me sound soft for saying this but – I always wanted my first kiss to be with someone I liked, someone I had feelings for. For all their faults, my mother and father are incurable romantics and they would die for each other. It's difficult to live in a house with them and not dream of the day I'll be able to find someone to be that passionate about. To be completely compatible with and never grow tired of their company, to be so in sync it scares me. I will just make better decisions than them where my children are concerned." He finished, his eyebrows scrunched together as he started to lose himself in thoughts of his fathers choices for his future. _

_"You're right, it does shock me. But its also sweet that you feel that way." She said, her voicing bringing him back to the present._

_"Not all boys are animals y'know." He chuckled, sitting back once more whilst his hands remained above her ankles. _

_"So… who are these girls I've been running off in supply cupboards with?" He begun his teasing once more. _

The cool air circulating around the courtyard crashed into Hermione, momentarily throwing her off her balance and drawing her out of her daydream. She felt the tip of her nose grow cold as the wind continued to scratch at her face, turning on her heals she decided against continuing her stroll outside.

Her mind wandered back to Draco's admission to having never been kissed, it warmed her heart to know he felt so strongly about it, he felt the same way as she did and wanted it to be with someone he cared about, she could only hope to be that someone.

As she turned the corner, Hermione heard the family whine of Pansy Parkinson. She rolled her eyes and slowed her pace, not wanting to make her presence known as she wasn't quite ready for her mood to be ruined entirely.

"I feel like I never see you anymore, you're always in one of your late night potions classes or going for walks where you insist on being by yourself." Pansy complained, the high tones of her voice cutting through Hermione's eardrums causing her to shiver.

Hermione felt sorry for whomever was on the receiving end of Pansy's whining, just as she was about to turn the corner, unable to slow down anymore without coming to a stop, she froze entirely as she heard the person in question respond to Pansy.

"Pansy dear, stop complaining. I'm in the common room as much as everybody else and I take pride in my extra curricular's. Sometimes I like to go for a walk and clear my head, that shouldn't be a crime."

"But I miss you." Hermione could hear the pout in Pansy's voice and picture her pug face clearly in her head.

She turned the corner ever so slightly, daring to get a better look at the pair. Pansy stood with her back to Hermione, her hands clasped behind her as she rocked backwards and forwards on her heal. Draco leaned against the wall opposite her, his arms folded across his chest with his right foot raised and resting against the wall.

Hermione could see Draco clearly, his emotionless face giving nothing away as always. It didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable when Pansy's feelings were so evident even without being able to see her face, his face however, neither confirmed the same feelings nor denied them.

Time stood still for Hermione, her legs became weak and her stomach turned upside down whilst the rest of her body rapidly turned cold as she watched Pansy rock forward one last time and stand on her tip toes, beginning to close the gap between her and Draco.

She watched from a distance through her now misty eyes, her vision blurring by the second, whilst Pansy leaned forward to close the last inch between them with a kiss.

Unable to control herself, Hermione gasped, causing Draco's eyes to shoot to the end of the corridor where she stood. Hermione wasn't sure if the kiss had lasted for a second, a minute or longer, she had no interest in finding out and instead turned quickly, her feet moving rapidly without any acknowledging command form her brain, she ran and didn't look back to see if he had followed.

Finally she slowed as she reached the courtyard, unsure where to go from there, when a familiar warm voice called out for her. Harry ran across the courtyard, Ron beside him, with a smile across his face.

If someone had asked her to, Hermione couldn't have describe the feeling of relief she felt seeing Harry and Ron, despite her situation with Ron, their timing of arrival was impeccable.

"Where've you been? You're looking pretty flushed." Harry commented.

Before she had chance to reply, an owl swooped low enough to alert the trio of the letter it held between its beak. Ron turned to them both, his face perplexed as he walked towards the owl that had now landed on a close by bench. After he had retrieved the letter addressed to the three of them, he pulled it out of the envelope, reading it as he walked back to his friends.

His face paled and grew serious and Hermione felt her stomach flip for a second time that evening. Once Ron had finished reading, he looked up towards Harry with concern before he turned to Hermione, only making her feel worse. Harry snatched the letter from his hand and began to read, his face growing growing more concerned the further down the letter he got.

"Buckbeak's been sentenced to death." Harry told Hermione.

She suddenly found herself overwhelmed with emotion, both for herself and for Hagrid. Her knees began to weaken beneath her once more only this time she felt an arm wrap around her and support her, expecting to look up to Harry, she was surprised to be staring into Ron's blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry about Scabbers." Hermione said through her shakey voice.

"I should be the one apologising, I'm sorry about the past few months Mione." He bowed his head in shame before Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, letting the tears stream from her eyes.

"We'll go and see Hargid soon." Harry told her, his hand caressed the top of her back in attempts to comfort her slightly. He couldn't help but feel useless in a situation like this.

"And we will help with the appeal you're no doubt already planning to put together." Ron added, Hermione chocked out a small laugh as she sniffled against his shoulder.

Everything felt normal between them again, her problem with Draco temporarily pushed to the back of her mind as she enjoyed Harry and Ron's company together for the first time in a long time.

~X~

The sun shone down on the Gryffindors and Slytherins who waited for their Care of Magical Creatures class to commence. Hermione sat on a rock situated behind Harry and Ron, with her Magical Creatures book resting open in her lap.

She caught sight of Draco joining the class with Crabbe and Goyle by his side. Keeping her head down to avoid eye contact, she remained buried in her book. She hadn't spoken to or seen Draco since the night she saw him kiss Pansy. She felt her necklace burn ferociously the first night and every night since. It had been a week and she hadn't given in and gone to see him, she wans't ready to talk to him just yet, she wasn't ready to explain why seeing him kiss Pansy would upset her so much.

"Good evenin' class." Hargid's voice boomed, thick with grief.

Hermione's heart ached as she looked at Hagrid, his were swollen with purple rings beneath them. She hated to see anyone she cared about hurt, more so when there was nothing she could do to fix it.

"Before we start our class, I have somethin to say. I'm sure you all remember Buckbeak." Hagrid's voice broke as he mentioned his Hippogriffs name.

"Well, after what happened…" Hagrid struggled some more as his eyes flickered across to Draco, fighting to finish his sentence and share the news with the class.

"They made a decision on Buckbeak and, well its not great." Thick pools of tears began to build in Hagrid's eyes, he stroked the length of his beard as he bit on his lip to fight back the tears from falling.

Hermione sat upon the rock, fighting back her own tears that had begun to build when she heard sniggering from beside her. Her head snapped to the direction of where the noise came from and she caught sight of the back of Draco's head who was facing Blaise and Goyle who were both finding Hagrid's grief very ammusing.

Rage sparked inside of Hermione as she watched this heartless act. Before she realised what she was doing, she had jumped off the rock and stormed across to the Slytherins. All of the emotions she had held inside for over a week in relation to Draco, along with the stress her school work was causing her combined with the pain she was feeling over Hagrid made for a dangerous cocktail inside of her.

She felt herself bubbling as she stopped just behind Draco, her magic rippled inside of her and she could feel the sparks coursing through her body.

"What d'you want Mudblood?" Pansy asked, from a safe distance away from Hermione.

The whole class grew quiet, Blaise nodded his head towards Hermione and Draco turned to see what the fuss was about when his eyes landed on her.

He hadn't been this close to her in over a week, all he wanted to do was reach out and grab her, he wanted to hold her in his arms and explain what happened with Pansy, to apologise to her. He almost forgot where they were for a moment, he found it all too easy to get lost in her eyes, which he noted now upon closer inspection, were filled with tears.

Hermione's fists where clenched beside her, her fingers began to tingle as she stared up at Draco, the spark inside of her flickered and soon escalated through her body. Her fist reacted on impulse as she rose her hand and pulled back her arm. When she released her hand, she immediately felt a burning sensation in her knuckles as her fist connected with his nose.

Draco stumbled backwards, steadying himself on Blaise as his face resembled that of the other Slytherins, pure shock. He looked through water that had instantly appeared in his eyes upon impact, and stared at Hermione. She stood frozen, panting heavily, her eyebrows scrunched on her forehead whilst her eyes remained locked on the streams of red coursing down his face.

Hermione felt her whole hand become warm, she was sure some of Draco's blood had made it onto her hand as she felt something wet fall off one of her knuckles onto the floor.

Ron rushed to Hermione's side and grabbed her arm, shaking her slightly to until her focus detached from Draco. She turned on her heal and walked away from the Slytherins, but she didn't stop. Instead she continued to walk past the rest of the students and away from Hagrid's hut where the lesson was taking place.

Harry grabbed her school bag and followed a short distance behind her with Ron, neither one wanting to get to close to her just yet.

~X~

"Where's Hermione?" Shamus whispered across the classroom to Harry.

Harry looked beside himself towards Ron who shrugged, neither of the two had seen her since Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

"Well, when you see her, congratulate her on that right hook of hers will ya, that was a belter." Shamus added with a laugh.

"Do you think she's still in the common room?" Ron asked Harry as he lowered his voice.

"Most probably. We will go check on her after this lesson."

"It's not like Hermione to miss a class."

Harry nodded in agreement, his face riddled with concern.

The pair walked with haste back to the Gryffindor common room in search of Hermione. As they stumbled through the portrait they both relaxed as they found her, sound asleep curled up by the fire on one of the arm chairs.

"Hermione." Ron said gently as he knelt down beside her, nudging her slightly to stir her from her dreams.

Hermione's eyes crinkled with protest as she groaned, she wasn't quite ready to wake up just yet.

"You've missed Charms class Mione." Harry spoke next, with an equally gentle tone as Ron, they were still a little anxious around her as there will still some unanswered questions regarding her outburst.

At this news, her eyes shot open and she sat up properly, her eyes wide as she looked around the room before she found the time.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm just exhausted."

"You need to take a break Hermione, you're doing too much. You're taking way more lessons than the average person, maybe even more than the other over achievers. You're always out late studying, you need to rest." Harry said, Ron nodded with agreement whilst he remained knelt beside her.

Hermione sighed and nodded, a small part of her felt guilty that they thought her exhaustion was entirely to do with studying, when she knew some of it was to do with a boy they despised, a boy she had just punched.

The reminder of such an event caused her to wince as she look down at her now swollen hand, her knuckles were red raw and tender to touch.

"I must say, that was bloody brilliant Hermione." Ron chuckled, causing Hermione to laugh through her nose at him.

"What caused it though? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll take any excuse to give Malfoy a crack, but that's me. What made you do it?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked up between the boys, trying to find her words, trying to understand what caused such a reaction, she didn't entirely know herself, all she remembered was an overwhelming surge of rage and her magic bubbling inside her. She looked back down at her hand before she answered.

"Like I said, I'm really tired and stressed and I heard them all laughing at Hagrid. He was just the closest on to me and I've always fantasised about doing it."

"That's as good a reason for me!" George announced as he walked into the common room.

"You're a feisty bunch aren't you." Fred added as he fired a wink towards Hermione.

The twins came over to where Harry was sat and parked themselves on the sofa beside him, George in particular was eager to hear all about what had happened in their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, although Hermione had had enough for one day.

She rose from her seat and headed over to the giant pitcher of water that sat on the table and picked up a goblet before she began pouring herself a glass.

"Are you ok?" Fred asked, picking up her hand after she had finished making herself a drink. He held the swollen hand in his and ran his finger over her knuckles gently. The feeling of his soft hands felt strange to Hermione, she wasn't used to anyone touching her this way, anyone other than Draco.

"I'm fine, it only hurts a little." She lied as she took back her hand, noting his deflated face as she did it.

"I'm going to go and freshen up, I'll see you later." She told him, speaking loud enough for the others to hear, although they were too deep in conversation, reliving the scene outside Hagrid hut all over again, George was thoroughly engrossed.

~X~

Hermione wandered through the almost deserted castle, still debating on whether or not to join the rest of the school in watching the final Quidditch match of the year; Slytherin vs Gryffindor. She wasn't feeling particularly up to pretending to enjoy Quidditch for the next hour or so, however she did want to support Harry.

After further consideration, she changed her route and began heading towards the Quidditch grounds. As she stepped outside, she felt herself walk into something solid, knocking her back slightly she noticed it was a someone not a something.

Her eyes moved up the green garments the person wore, trailing up the familiar build until finally landing on his face.

"There you are!" Draco spoke with desperation in his voice.

Without giving her time to react, or potentially hit him again, he grabbed her for-arm and pulled her back into the castle. Hermione's eyes darted down each corridor they passed, checking nobody could see them until eventually she found herself being dragged into one of the rooms close by.

Once in the room Draco closed the door behind them and turned to Hermione with a determined look on his face, still panting from his search throughout the castle for her.

Hermione looked up at him, admiring the way his eyes glistened in his Quidditch uniform, the silver stitching reflected against the outer rim of his iris, it was very easy to forget that she was angry with him when he looked like this. The outline of the bruise that lay softly over his nose, just beneath his eyes kindly reminded her that she was in fact still angry with him. She shook her head a little, remembering once more why she hadn't spoken to him and turned away from him, facing down towards her feet.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, I can't concentrate enough to even mount my broom, let alone play the biggest game of the season."

Hermione said nothing in response, she continued to keep her head low, facing away from him.

"Hermione, I didn't want that to happen, you've got to believe me."

"It's not up to me who you do and don't kiss, if you want to kiss her by all means, go and find yourself a supply cupboard and do it some more." Hermione said, her voice breaking the further into the sentence she got.

She reached for the handle of the door but was stopped by Draco as he put his hand on top of hers.

"If I wanted to kiss her, I wouldn't be in a supply cupboard with you now would I?"

Hermione's eyes shot up to his before she examined her surroundings. She hadn't taken note of their close proximity, she'd grown so used to it by now that it seemed more abnormal to find herself around him with distance between them. But now she realised the reason for it was due to the lack of room they had. He was right, they were in a supply cupboard, not just any though – they were in Snapes.

"Pansy has always made her intentions clear, she's always spoken about some misguided betrothal she thinks our families have agreed upon since our birth and has ever shied away from showing how much she wish that were true. There's a part of me that thinks she genuinely believes it."

Hermione's stomach turned as she listened to him speak, she didn't want to hear about the possibility that Draco may one day be married to Pansy.

"Pure blood males have some weird duty to be nothing less than gentlemanly to the opposite sex of their own kind. I have always made it clear that I am not interested in her, maybe not clear enough it seems and a part of that will be because I try to maintain those characteristics around her, I don't know - All I know is I _definitely_ don't want that."

Draco closed his eyes and inhaled deeply in attempts to steady his breathing, once he caught his breath he opened his eyes again and took a step closer to Hermione.

"We once had a conversation about first kisses. If I remember rightly, your face resembled that of a cherry when we had it."

"I remember. Its what I was thinking about before I found you with Pansy."

He winced at her words, if there was anything he wished he could change in time, giving Pansy the opportunity to kiss him would be exactly that.

"Yes, well – If I remember rightly, it wasn't just you who confessed to having never been kissed. I too admitted to never having kissed anyone, and if you remember I told you it was because I always imagined my first kiss to be someone I liked, someone I cared about a lot. I never wanted my first kiss to be because of a dare or because someone misread my body language and thought that's what I wanted. I wanted the person I kissed to mean something to me."

"Is that what Pansy is to you?" Hermione asked, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers, unsure as to whether not she wanted to know the answer. She acknowledged that he said he handn't _wanted _it to happen, but a small part of her wandered if now it had, maybe his feelings had changed.

"Hermione, her lips never touched mine."

She let the words sink in for a moment as a huge wave of relief washed over her. Still unable to look up to him, she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth for curling up into a small smile.

"She's nothing more than an acquaintance out of necessity due to family ties. She's not even close to who I imagined my first kiss to be with."

Draco signed heavily, his nerves beginning to get the better of him as he was starting to lose his courage. He reached forward and placed a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face up slightly, forcing her to look at him directly before he spoke again.

"I'd never pictured it. I'd never thought too much into it. I just figured it would happen when I meet the right person. And then I met you, and since then I've pictured it over a thousand times."

He moved his hand from beneath her chin, stoking up her jaw line and along the top of her cheek, his fingers continued into her hair until they stopped and rested at the nape of her neck, his thumb stroking along her cheek.

"The night beside the lake, the first time we came even close to kissing, before we saw that wolf. I could see the look of hurt in your eyes when you thought I rejected you, I didn't. Every night we have spent together since then I have tried to pluck up the courage to finish what you started, but I've chickened out every time. For a while I felt as though you changed your mind, until our conversation a few weeks ago."

"You're the person that I like Hermione. Despite everything we have going against us, you're the person that means a lot to me."

Draco closed his mouth, finally finished with all his words with nothing let to say, he reach his other hand out towards her waist. The butterflies in his stomach began dancing in a nauseating sequence along with the beating of his heart.

Hermione was overwhelmed with emotions his speech had caused, oozing with happiness she seized the moment and unclasped her hands from in front of her. She reached out both of her hand and placed them on his chest, causing Draco's hand to fall from her face which he placed it on the other side of her waist.

She slowly began to slide her hands up his chest to his shoulders until they eventually re-joined behind his neck. Looking up into his eyes she felt her body dissolve into his, loosing herself completely in his gaze.

She felt like everything around her had completely stopped, the silence around them was almost deafening leaving only the sound of her racing heart to echo inside her ears.

Draco's grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her body closer to his. The moment she felt his breath brush against her she closed her eyes, her mouth parted slightly as she inhaled the sweet scent of apple from his mouth before she felt his lips meet hers.

His lips felt smooth against hers as they pressed down softly at first, before the fire inside of her, built up on months of anticipation of this very moment, caused her to deepen the kiss. His insistent mouth caused her lips to part slightly, sending sparks throughout her body as she felt his breath mix with hers and she felt a rush of happiness.

Draco's body ignited as his grip around her waist tightened before he moved one of his hands towards the dip in her lower back, pulling her even closer to him. As her lips pressed harder against his, he felt as though never wanted to this moment to end and refused to pull away until they were both entirely breathless.

He rested his forehead against Hermione's, staring down at her still closed eyes as they both panted to regain their breath. The taste of Golden Syrup lingered on his lips as they tingled from the pressure of their kiss.

He watched as Hermione's mouth turned into a grin before she lowered herself back down to the balls of her feet, finally opening her eyes to look up at him and he moved his hand from her back to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. To Draco this moment was perfect, it had been everything and more than what he had imagined it to be and nothing could change that.

The sound of the supply cupboard door opening caused the pair to jump apart from each other as they were presented with a confused Professor Snape. Hermione's cheeks burned as she looked at Draco in hopes he could come up with an explanation as to what they were doing in there together much quicker than she could.

"Don't you have a Quidditch match to attend, Mr Malfoy?" Snape drawled, his eyes never meeting Hermione's.

"Y-yes sir." Draco stuttered in response, fleeing from the cupboard. Before he vanished completely from Hermione's site, he turned to give her once last wink before he ran off towards the Quidditch pitch.

"If you wish to spend all day in there Miss Granger, I can provide you with some cleaning supplies." Snape said, still not looking at her.

It was clear to her that he was equally as embarrassed as she was by the situation, and without another word from him, she walked quickly out of the cupboard muttering her apologies as she passed him, not looking back as she headed towards the Quidditch pitch. Her mind still spinning from her kiss with Draco.

**Author Note:**

So guys, there you have it! The moment so many of you have been waiting for. I sure hope it wasn't anticlimactic for anyone. I feel like I'd built this moment up so much that I found it incredibly difficult to actually write the scene, so I'm hoping I've lived up to everyone's expectations!


	29. Twenty Nine

_1994 – Third Year_

The Gryffindor common room was filled with chipper students, beaming from ear to ear due to the result of the Quidditch match. They had won the house cup, every member of the Quidditch team was exhilarated as Harry Potter had once again successfully caught the Golden Snitch.

Hermione sat alone on the sofa besides the fire, smiling to herself as she watched members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team receive praises off each student as they made their way around the room, all the while her mind flickered between the present and past recent events.

Her focus throughout the game had not been on her house team, instead they had been on a certain member of the opposing team and how moments before the match, she had found herself in a supply cupboard with her favourite Slytherin.

It would quite possibly be one of her happiest moments, that is until the memory of Professor Snape turning up intruded her thoughts. Her cheeks heated at the memory of her Professor's embarrassed and irritated face as he opened the door to his supply cupboard to find the two of them panting somewhat and flustered.

She let slip a groan as she sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees whilst her head dropped into her hands that moved to her face and began to rub at her temples. She tried desperately to block the embarrassing memory from her mind, when she felt her seat shift slightly, signalling that someone had sat down heavily on the sofa beside her.

"Did you know, you're the only person in here that hasn't said congratulations to me." Fred teased as he sat back on the sofa, his arm stretched out behind her, draping over the length of the back of the seat.

"Us." George added as he sat down on the other side of Hermione, "Quite frankly, I think its rude."

"My apologies. Congratulations boys."

"Then she adds insult to injury." George sat back to look at his twin.

"Boys, she calls us."

"I would have said Gent's if I thought you resembled anything remotely close to that." Hermione said with a smirk.

"My my, she just doesn't stop." George faked offence before he stood tall, looking down at her with his hand on his chest as he continued the act of being hurt by her words.

"Sometimes, you're just too harsh Hermione." He said before he moved away from her, all the while looking back and shaking his head, eventually getting lost in the crowed.

"He wasn't being serious, was he? I didn't really offend him, did I?" Hermione asked, her confidence in George's ability to take a joke wavered slightly.

"It would take a lot more than stating the obvious to offend one of us, Hermione, not everyone is as sensitive as my youngest brother." Fred spoke, causing Hermione to relax and smile back at him.

Fred's face grew serious as he glued his eyes to Hermione's, the concentration in his face made his gaze that more intensifying. It became uncomfortable for her quickly as she averted her eyes from him, looking back at her friends who had begun to start celebrating with drinks.

"Are you not wanting to partake in the festivities?" Hermione asked, not turning back to look at him.

"I think I've had just enough for the time being, perhaps later. I wanted to speak to you about something." Fred told her. He leant forward to rest his arms along his thighs, hanging his head low he stared down at his feet and inhaled deeply before he spoke again.

"I had originally wanted to talk to you on my birthday, but well… when I finally built up the courage, I couldn't find you."

Hermione's back stiffened at the mention of the twin's birthday, a night she remembered very well but wished she had drank enough, like her fellow students, to have forgotten the conversations she overheard.

She had been enjoying a game of exploding snap with Ginny and Dean Thomas when she overheard Fred talking to his Twin about some girl he wanted to talk to. They had tried to keep their voices low as they discussed the matter, however when George had advised his brother against it, for reasons she didn't hear, it was the mention of her own name that perked her ears.

Fred had said he liked Hermione and he planned to tell her. Unable to think of a way to respond to such a situation without hurting his feelings, Hermione decided the only way to prevent herself from having to do that, would be to avoid the situation entirely. With that, she left the Gryffindor common room, telling Ginny she didn't feel well and was going to see Madam Pomfrey.

Instead she went to her secret room and was later joined by Draco, who when he had asked why she was there so early, Hermione explained and told him the situation. He had pulled a face when she mentioned Fred's interest in her and said not a great deal on the matter. Looking back on it now, it was clear to Hermione that she had witnessed a glimpse into a jealous Draco that night.

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her awkwardness causing her to sit on her hands and glance through the sides of her eyes towards him. Fred still had his eyes glued on the floor, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say until eventually, he started.

"On my birthday I had wanted to find you to tell you that, well, that I h-have feelings for you." He stuttered, his eyes still not moving from his feet. "But, when I couldn't find you in the common room, I asked around and Ginny said you went to the hospital wing. So I came to find you."

Her stomach flipped before the horrible turning sensation was replaced with a hollow pit of concern. Her heart began to race as she wandered how far Fred had searched for her that night and what he had discovered.

"The thing is, as you know, you wasn't there. So, I used the map to find you."

She looked at him confused, he turned to her and realised from her perplexed face that she had no clue what map he was talking about.

"I figured Harry would've told you by now. Me and George stole a map from Filtch's office back in first year. It's a map of the Hogwarts castle and grounds that shows everyone and where they are at all times. We gave it to him so that he could use it to sneak out to go to Hogsmeade, didn't think it was fair that he wasn't getting to go. But, I borrowed it from him that night."

"It shows everyone?"

"Everyone."

"No matter where they are."

"No matter…"

It took a few short seconds for his words to properly resonate with her, until it all clicked into place. He could only mean one thing. Unable to maintain eye contact with him any longer, she began to struggle to breath as she turned to face the floor.

Silence fell between them both, neither one knowing what to say next, what to ask. Hermione was still struggling to come to terms with the idea that somebody now knew where she was spending her evenings.

"Have you told anyone?" She asked, holding her breath as she waited for her answer.

"No."

Hermione exhaled and turned back to face him, her heart ached slightly as she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"I don't have any intention of doing so either." He added as he noticed the look of concern on her face. "_I _don't understand, never mind how the others would react. I'm not one to judge, Hermione, but… are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Hermione glanced around the room quickly, once she had confirmed that nobody was interested in their conversation, she decided the truth was the best thing in this situation.

"I'm sure, Fred. We've been friends since boarding the train in first year."

"But… In second year-"

"I'm not saying it's been perfect, we've had our fights."

"I'll say. He bully's you!" The disbelief and confusion caused his voice to raise slightly.

"It's an act. I've just had a fight with Ron that lasted months over something pathetic, he's still one of my best friends, why is this any different?"

"Because _he's _different, Hermione."

"How so? You don't know what he's like with me, what he's_ really_ like with me."

"He's a spoilt little Pureblood snob, what is there to like!?"

"How're we ever supposed to fight the battle for prejudice against Muggleborns like me if we can't even fight the prejudice against Purebloods in ourselves." She hissed; Fred sat back against the sofa in defeat.

"Look, I know you don't understand it, I don't expect you to, I don't expect anybody to which is why we haven't told anyone. So please, _please _keep it to yourself."

Fred stared at her for a moment longer, no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not understand. He rose from his seat and straightened himself out before he turned back to her, looking down at her face before he finally responded.

"I like you Hermione, and even though all you've mentioned is a friendship, something tells me whatever this _thing _is, it will be more than that one day and I hope for your sake, it doesn't end in tears." He sighed and turned away from her, "I promise, I'll take it to my grave." He finished before heading off into the crowed until she could no longer see him.

Hermione couldn't shake the sickly feeling that had formed in her stomach, Fred had finally caught up with her to tell her how he felt, but it was so much more than that, so much worse that what she had originally dreaded. She mentally kicked herself from running away in the first place, had she not done that, maybe her secret would not be out, even if it was just to one person, it didn't feel great.

The map Fred had mentioned suddenly popped into Hermione's head, such a curious item she was surprised Harry hadn't mentioned. Then, the incident with his Firebolt at Christmas ran through her mind. Maybe Harry hadn't completely forgiven and forgotten if he felt the need to hide the Map from her.

She could not help but think that the map was a slightly more dangerous gift to receive than the firebolt, even if he knew who this one had come from. In the wrong hands, the map could be exactly what Sirius Black needed to find Harry, regardless to whatever theories Lucius had expressed with Draco, it was still a dangerous thing to be knocking around.

Too many thoughts and emotions ran through Hermione's head before she decided she'd had enough. Tired and overwhelmed, she escaped to her dorm room where she then readied herself for bed.

She had just climbed under the sheets when she heard a knock at the door, the fact that the person didn't just walk into the room told her that it wasn't someone she was bunking with.

"Can I come in?" Ginny asked after Hermione had opened the door, however the small red head didn't wait for a response, before Hermione had chance to open her mouth Ginny was in the room discarding her shoes and robe.

"What's the matter Gin?" asked Hermione, curious as to why her friend looked so glum when everyone outside in the common room was celebrating a the result of a sport Ginny held quite close to her heart.

"I tried to talk to Harry, to congratulate him but he was too busy talking to Mati." She sighed before kicking of her jeans and jumping into Hermione's bed.

"Patel?" Ginny nodded in response and climbed further under the sheets.

Hermione sighed in defeat, judging from Ginny's positioning it was clear she wouldn't be leaving Hermione that night. She dimmed the light and climbed into bed next to Ginny, pulling the duvet up to their necks, tucking them both in.

"I don't think it would've meant anything."

"Still, he saw me, he saw that I tried and… well he just didn't seem interested in speaking to me."

"He's probably just overwhelmed with the attention."

"Yes, because that's not something he's used to." Ginny said sarcastically.

"True – But that's more of a reason to bask in it, its not often he's in the limelight for simply playing a sport. It usually involves a near death situation. Everyone wanted to celebrate with him. Besides, I should imagine your brothers have slipped him some alcohol whilst they were celebrating."

"Hmm." Was all Ginny could muster up as a response before she yawned.

"Let's go to sleep, you'll feel better in the morning, you can speak to him over breakfast. I'll save you a seat next to him."

Ginny grinned through the darkness at her friend before turning to lay facing towards her.

"You're the best Hermione." She beamed.

"I know, now go to sleep." She chuckled before flicking the light out completely.

~X~

The following morning, after the Quidditch final, it was clear to each house that the celebrating had not quite warn off for the victorious Gryffindors. Hermione watched as Harry and Ron tucked into their breakfast, still reminiscing about the game, envious of their lack of nerves so close to their final exams.

"Why aren't you eating, Mione?" Ron asked with his usual mouth full of food.

Hermione clenched her copy of the Study of Ancient Runes tightly against her chest as she watched him shovel another fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"I don't seem to have as much of an appetite since, y'know, the finals are coming up!"

"What're you getting so wound up about? We have plenty of time, not to mention you've studied every day for hours. Probably since birth." Harry gave a small laugh through his nose at Ron's words, Hermione still struggled to find the humour in the situation.

"I wouldn't put it past Hermione to have been studying since being in the womb." George added as he sat down at the table, the slight worn look on his face was evident enough of his hangover. Hermione noticed Fred beside him and expected him to sit beside her in his usual manor, however when he chose to sit next to George without even a glance towards her, it caused a the sinking feeling from the night before to return to her.

"Morning." Ginny's voice felt like a saving grace to Hermione in that moment. Hermione had fulfilled her promise and saved her a seat beside Harry, meaning she could quickly escape the uncomfortable situation she had found herself in.

"Morning Gin, take my seat, I need to go to the library and do some studying."

"But I've just got here." Ginny's face fell as she watched Hermione stand up from the table.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just want to get some work done before the library fills up. We'll talk later, I promise." She added once she noticed the confusion on Ginny's face, her words seem to settle her and Hermione felt confident Ginny wouldn't come looking for her. The last thing she needed was another Weasley finding out about her situation with Draco, and she always considered Ginny to be closer to the truth than anyone.

She grabbed the remainder of her books from the table and allowed herself one look back at Fred before she left, his eyes were still transfixed on the single bean he was moving around his plate.

"I'll see you later guys," She said quickly. On her exit out of the great hall her eyes flickered towards the Slytherin table where she found Draco looking up through his lashes with his head bowed, his eyes fixed on hers.

Just before she walked through the doors leaving the Great Hall, she gave him a small smile and help her necklace between her fingers, his smirk was the last thing she saw before she headed through the doors and up the stairs to their secret room.

~X~

"I'm sorry I didn't come by yesterday."

"It's fine, I figured you might be preoccupied with celebrations." Draco grumbled. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the face he pulled at the mention of the previous days Quidditch game. He took Quidditch so seriously, so a loss was almost like the end of the world to him.

"Well, I was for a while, but I went to bed early."

"D'you mean, you couldn't be away from your studying for too long and you left to do exactly that?"

"No, I actually went to bed." Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew her well enough to know that she would chose her study's over just about anything, no matter how tired she was or had been, over the past few years of him knowing her, she would study until she dropped when exams were so close.

"I had a lot on my mind, so I ended up needing my bed sooner than I'd hoped." His eyebrows dropped into a scowl as he waited for her to explain, his concern growing.

"It's fine, honestly don't worry about it, I just needed to catch up on my sleep."

He raised one eyebrow in response, still not convinced by the answer she had given and still not saying anything to her whilst he continued his wait.

"Are we going to have a whole conversation whereby you only respond with eyebrow gestures?!" She laughed as he wiggled them suggestively and winked at her. She swotted his arm and shook her head before she sat back in her seat and sighed, he wouldn't stop until she had given him the explanation he was looking for, no matter how much she didn't want to tell him.

"Fine, but you asked for this." Crossing her legs, she leant forward and rested her elbows on her knees and started. "Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned that Fred had planned to tell me that he liked me?"

Draco felt his stomach twist as the question, he hadn't expected to be discussing this topic again so soon after he had discovered Fred Weasleys feelings for the girl he was already struggling with his own feelings for. It didn't make him feel great the first time he heard of the news, but now things had changed between him and Hermione, he liked being reminded of it even less.

"Well, he finally had that conversation with me yesterday, but it didn't just stop with his confession."

"Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him back? Wait…do you like him?"

"Draco calm down. To answer your questions – No, no and no." She watched as his shoulders relaxed again and the crease between his eyebrows loosened.

"He said he came to find me on his birthday, right after I left and came here to you. He explained that there is this map him and George have been using for the past few years. A map of Hogwarts that shows everybody in the castle, and where they are at all times."

"Everyone?"

"At all time's, Draco. I found it hard to believe also, but he said he used it to find out where I'd gone when he realised, I wasn't actually with Madam Pomfrey. That's when he discovered that I was here, with you."

"So he knows?"

"He does."

"Has he told anyone?"

"He said he hasn't, and that he won't."

"Do you believe him?"

Hermione gave herself a minute to think about the answer to that question. She believed that Fred wanted what was best for her, although he thought that wasn't Draco, people finding out about them would be the last thing she wanted, or needed for that matter. He would gain nothing from telling someone, and he wasn't one to want to intentionally hurt someone, not unless a prank was involved.

"Yes, I believe he wont tell anyone." She answered finally.

"Good, well that's fine then."

"How're you so chilled out about this!? I have been freaking out, he wont even look at me and he was furious. He couldn't understand it, he see's you as my bully, as someone who's nothing but mean to me and now he discovers I'm spending any of my free time that I'm not with Harry and Ron, with you. How does this not make you nervous."

"Because you said he wouldn't tell anyone. I trust your judgement, Hermione." She had stood up and began to pace the room, Draco had pushed himself to the edge of the window seat, resting his hands on his knees as he shrugged his shoulders before continuing.

"Look, there was always bound to be someone that found out about it. I'm fairly certain Theo knows about us, even if he hasn't directly said so, but as long as we make sure whoever does, doesn't tell anyone, everything will be fine. Relax, Hermione."

She dropped hers shoulders and sighed, walking over to his open arms and stopped before him. He reached forward and slip his fingers gently around her wrists.

"At the beginning of this conversation I thought you were going to tell me that he had said he likes you and you had decided that you also liked him. So to be honest, finding out that he had told you, but also told you that he knew about us, doesn't really compare if I'm honest."

Hermione smiled sheepishly through her blush, standing between his legs, her knees knocking against the solid wood of the window seat. Draco reached up to cup her face in her hands and smiled down at her before he swiftly pecked her lips with his, pulling away as quickly as he had lent down.

All doubts and concerns immediately left her mind the second his face was just an inch from hers, her worries melted away.

"Now, onto more pressing things. We haven't had chance to actually discuss yesterday."

"Mmm." Hermione hummed as her eyes danced between his and his lips.

Draco's smirk teased at his lips as he watched her eyes, growing more distracted the further she lost herself In her thoughts.

"So is all forgiven?"

"Hmm?" Her voice lifted with question, suddenly realising that she hadn't been paying any attention to what he was talking about. He gave a small chuckle before his hands slid into hers and he pulled them together in front of her.

"Does this, you being here, mean that all is forgiven, that you believe me? That the whole Pansy thing -"

"Draco, I wouldn't have kissed you back if that wasn't the case." Now it was his turn to feel a blush pinch across his cheeks.

"Although, I'm not sure Professor Snape will be forgiving us anytime soon."

Hermione was relieved to see from Draco's expression that she wasn't the only one who cringed deeply whenever she reminded herself of the unfortunate timing of their Professors arrival that day.

Draco shook his head and lifted it upright, his eyes focused on the ceiling for a brief moment whilst he pushed the memories of his professor out of his mind.

"Anyway." Draco said, diverting the subject away from that memory, lifting his head back to face her. "We haven't spent a morning together in a long time. What shall we do?"

~X~

Night times around Hogwarts were beginning to grow warmer, had it not been for the constant surrounding of Azkaban guards, the Dementors, causing everything to turn Baltic in their presence, the temperature would be bordering on perfect.

The moon looked angelic as its full reflection shone down bright over the castle grounds, exposing every creature bigger than an average house cat. Each burst of wind shuffled at the trees and the overgrown grass that surrounded the Dark Forest.

The sound of running echoed through the forest, the lower branches on the surrounding trees rustled, disturbing creatures small and large from their slumber as they were made aware of the strange presence lurking in the forest.

With each leap, the wind pulled at the runner's bristle hair, the pads of their feet ran raw from the rough surface of the forests floor. The dog bound forward with haste, deeper into the forest, it's destination still unknown.

The running began to slow as silence fell around the forest once more, not even an owl made a hoot as the one who had been running came to a gradual halt. The large scraggy dog, who's appearance looked so misplaced in a forest so enchanted, sat with pricked ears as it listened intently for any noises in the surrounding area.

With watchful eyes, the Scottish Dachshund observed the forest, waiting for something to move, for a rodent to surface so that it could eat for the first time in days. Being a wild animal in theory meant freedom like no other, the ability to come and go as one pleases, to have not a care in the world.

The hash reality of it was cold, wet nights when there was no shelter, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements as the hard, uneven surface of the forest floor dug into the dogs bony hips frequently. Having to hunt for food in a location where a dog despite such a scale was considered more prey than predator.

Freedom didn't see so great when that was the cost.

The noise of a small fly buzzed around the dogs head, tormenting it as a single ear twitched with each attempt the fly made to land.

The sound of a branch snapping caused the dogs eyes to widen and it's ears to erect whilst it listened further. Noises of distant laughter followed close after, flowing faintly around the dogs ears, signalling that those responsible for the noise had to be close by, on the outskirts if the forest.

The dog's curiosity peaked and with a low crouch, it slowly pushed forward with intent, getting closer to the sound. The mutt watched as it approached the one responsible for the noise, peering through the branches of a close by bush. With one fore-leg held doubled up, the dog waited, ready for it's next cautious step.

The moon reflected its light down, illuminating the ground around the boy stood in the clearing, making it possible for the dog to catch a glimpse of the person who had been responsible for the laughter. With a slight shift of his head, the person's facial features became clearer, the white hair glistened in the moon light, defining shadows grew visible across their face.

_'Lucius?' _the dog thought to itself, '_it can't be...'_

The dog's eyes shifted to a scowl as the lifted paw touched back down to the ground, a vibrating growl began to ripple through its chest. The dog bowed its head and prepared to spring forward with a savage snarl, its canine teeth uncovered, and ears pressed close backwards on the head.

Before the dog leaped forward, a young girl came dancing into his view, smiling from ear to ear as she draped her arms around the boy before her, expressing soft laughter with each twirl he gave her. The dogs growl died down as it observed more closely and moved further around to get a better angle, keeping to the bushes, getting close to the couple who were bordering entry to the forest.

'_Don't be stupid Sirius, that's not Lucius.' _He thought to himself once more.

It had been years since Sirius Black had seen any of his former _acquaintances _before he was captured and sent to serve his time at Azkaban, and although the young boy before home bore a striking resemblance to the man he remembered so distinctly and grew up with, after closer inspection it was obvious that it was not him.

Instead, Sirius could see more clearly now that the boy in front of him was the Junior to his former classmate, Draco Malfoy. A boy whose name he had not been able to ignore since his first snooping around Hogwarts. Very few had something nice to say about him, and if they did, it had usually either been from the people feared and respected his last name, or had been girls with a painfully misplaced _saving the damaged_ complex that he knew all too well from his younger days at Hogwarts.

As he watched Lucious Malfoy's son dance around with the young girl in front of him, his focus shifted to her, waiting to catch a glimpse of her face.

He recognised the face immediately and knew it belonged to Hermione Granger, a friend of Harry Potter, his godson. He knew enough about Hermione to know that the couple before him were having to keep their friendship hidden, and for a reason. Draco came from an old family or Purebloods, Voldemort fanatics, something he could relate to. Whereas from what he could gather, she was a Muggleborn and so they were asking for trouble.

Sirius stretched and shook himself, circling several times before dropping to the ground, eyes transfixed forward on the couple no more than 15ft away from him.

He took pity on the young couple, friendship bloomed between them, and yet to have any real kind of friendship, any kind of relationship with one another in the future, they faced more struggles than they were probably aware of.

However, no matter how much he pitied them, or how much Hermione appeared to trust the son of one of his former school rivals, the son of a _former _Death Eater, Sirius did not, and he wasn't prepared to wander off and leave her alone with him.

His original plans for that evening would have to wait another day.

**Author Note: **

Thank you all for sticking with this story so far. I hope you're all still enjoying it, keep the reviews coming, both good and bad, I like feed back so that I can improve on my story and my writing. Being dyslexic and trying to write without a beta is hard man!

I battled with myself during this chapter because I didn't want their secret to be out, but realistically, with the map floating around and their hangout area not being in the room of requirement, someone was bound to find out!


	30. Thirty

_1994 – Third Year_

Hermione woke in the hospital wing, the familiar dull tones of Professor Snape stirred her from her restless sleep. She rubbed against her eyes and groaned as she propped herself up in the bed, trying to remember how she came to be asleep in the hospital wing, still dressed in her filthy clothes from the night before.

Memories of the previous nights events came flooding back to her. The true identity of Ron's pet rat, Peter Pettigrew, Professor Lupins moonlight secret and Sirius Blacks innocence. _He was innocent._ Her head turned rapidly towards the person Professor Snape had been talking to and she watched as Cornelius Fudge congratulated Snape on his heroic act of saving the three students from both a savage werewolf aa notorious criminal.

Hermione turned her head quickly over to the bed where Ron lay sound asleep. Just as quickly, her eyes flickered to Harry who was now sitting upright in his bed rubbing the back of his head. Almost as quickly as she had after finally coming too, Harry's eyes focused in on Fudge before he leaped out of bed, Hermione followed close behind as they both headed towards the men stood at the end of the hospital wing.

"Sirius Black is innocent!" Harry shouted before he had completely reached the men, Fudge turned to him perplexed, whilst Snape rolled his eyes but before he could protest, Hermione spoke up.

"It was Peter Pettigrew." She added, causing Fudge to raise his brows in disbelief, his eyes moved between the children in front of him and Snape before he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and opened his mouth to ask for further explanation, but Harry had continued regardless.

"He's an Animagus, he turned into a rat-"

"Pretended to be the Weasley's pet rat for 12 years-"

"Honestly, we are telling the truth, he's innocent." Both Harry and Hermione spoke too quickly and mostly over each other, it was difficult to understand everything they were trying to say, however from everything they had just unloaded between them, Fudge managed to form some sort of sense out of what they were saying.

"I think, if you don't mind me saying, it is clear to see that Mr Potter and Miss Granger have been put under a lot of stress given recent events, and I would almost go as far as to say," Snape began to drawl his explanation, looking at neither one of the people he referred to and only at Fudge before he continued, "Black may have used a Confundus charm on them." He finished.

Before either Harry or Hermione could protest any further, Snape waved his hand and gave them a stern look, in most situations this would have silenced any other student, perhaps even the students before him, on any other day.

"You wouldn't know because you were unconscious at the time!" Hermione yelled, causing Snape to pale slightly as his eyes widened.

"Yes, and _why_ is that Miss Granger?" He asked before turning to Harry, silence fell around them all as Hermione closed her mouth and clenched her fists. Snape turned back to Fudge, a certain smugness across his face as he opened his mouth to continue telling the Minster for Magic how Hermione and Harry were not in their right state of mind. Before he had chance to let any further words stumble out of his mouth, the group were interrupted as Professor Dumbledore walked through the Hospital wing doors.

Hermione grew mildly irritated as she watched the men before her exchange pleasantries whilst an innocent man rotted in a cell waiting for his punishment, a fate worse than death. Her frustrations caused her to block out the chatter around her, so much so that she hadn't realised Harry had grabbed her arm and had begun leading her out of the hospital wing, the doors closing behind them as Dumbledore turned to them both.

"Professor you have to believe us, Sirius is innocent-"

"Harry – Harry, I do believe that Sirius Black is innocent of the crimes he has been charged with, which is why I have brought you here." He said calmly, it was difficult not to feel at ease when he spoke, even if the situation warranted erratic behaviour.

"Now, make sure you stay hidden, nobody – _absolutely nobody_ is to see you. Should you succeed, more than one life will be saved tonight." Dumbledore said to only Hermione.

Harry's brows furrowed with confusion and he looked between the two and before he had a second to ask for an explanation, Dumbledore walked away whilst Hermione's eyes remained wide and glued to the wall where the professor had previously been stood.

"Hermione, what was that about?" Harry's voice clipped at her ears, bringing her back to reality as she turned to him, she quickly reached underneath her jumper and pulled at the chain around her neck to reveal the Time Turner she had been gifted at the beginning of the year.

"What're those?" Harry asked. Hermione looked down at her neck to realise she had pulled out her dragon pendent also.

"This is a Time Tuner." She said as she held the cold necklace between her finger tips, hoping it would be enough of a distraction to deter him away from the other necklace that hung around her neck. "Used correctly, it allows someone to travel back in time, its how I've been able to attend so many classes this year."

Harry rolled his eyes at his best friend, unsurprised in her eagerness to find any way possible to do more studies. Hermione continued to explain the mechanics behind the Time turner as she pulled the chain and wrapped it around the two of them, twisting the dial several times before they both disappeared.

Draco stood behind a pillar, just out of view of the entrance to the hospital wing, having just observed Harry and Hermione disappear before him. He had experienced the powers of the Time Turner he'd overheard her telling Harry about, but seeing it from an outsiders perspective was an entirely different experience.

His face fell into a frown as he watched the empty space where Harry ad Hermione once stood, frustrated that his friend always got herself into dangerous situations. He waited for a moment longer for the pair to reappear back where they once were, hoping at the very least, Hermione would return in the same condition she left in.

Within minutes he heard footsteps coming up the corridor beside him, he shifted further around the corner out of view of the pair of Gryffindor's who made their way towards the hospital wing, panting and more filthy than when they left, he noted a fresh cut above Hermione's left eye.

Draco shook his head as he moved slowly back to his original spot, he noticed a glimmer in Hermione's eyes as she crouched over with her hands on her knees, forcing heavy breaths from her mouth as she tried to regulate her breathing. He couldn't help but admire the look she got in her eyes when her sense of adventure kicked in. She glowed with excitement, even if the adventures did bring her closer to death, she was all the more radiant for it.

Draco decided he had seen enough, she was back, she was safe, and no doubt would find him later on where he would hear all about another years adventures. He pushed himself off the wall and made his way outside towards the castle grounds. Night time had already fallen around the castle, the air was soft and cool as it gently swayed a few stray strands of his hair.

Finally he'd had enough of walking aimlessly when he took a seat upon a rock overlooking the steep path that lead to the Grounds keepers hut, just outside the Forbidden Forrest.

He sighed deeply as he looked out, admiring his view, wondering what Hermione could possibly have gotten up to this time that would cause the trio to, yet again, find themselves in the hospital.

He wandered what had gotten Professor Snape so riled up to cause him to raise his voice and storm out of the hospital wing. He also wandered why it seemed impossible to have a normal year at Hogwarts.

Something stirred inside him as he pondered all of these things, from conversations he had been privy to with his father, he knew something was coming, but what is was still remained unclear. He felt a nagging in his chest as he contemplated how much darker the world would be if the Death Eaters succeeded in their plans to resurrect Voldemort.

Already in the past three years there had been two apparent sightings, no matter what shape or form he possessed, Voldemort's name was being mentioned more and more and it concerned Draco deeply.

His father, along with the other Death Eaters, somewhat lack of morals are what made them perfect followers for Voldemort. His fathers beliefs, Draco's old beliefs, they don't allow for Draco to be friends with Hermione and Voldemort's return would only add more complications, more than there already where.

A twig snapped behind Draco, he sharply twisted his body around where he caught site of a man stood ten feet away from him, a mass of filthy, matted hair hung down the mans elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been mistaken for a corpse. His waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. Draco recognised this man immediately, although his pictures plastered all over the papers no longer resembled the man in front of him, Sirius Black looked much more dishevelled than he had imagined.

"Draco Malfoy." Sirius spoke quietly, almost as though the act of speaking caused him pain.

Draco's eyes flickered between the man stood before him and the Hippogriff he recognised from his incident at the beginning of the year, Buckbeak, who had taken to pruning himself as he lay beside Sirius.

"How do you know my name?" Draco's voice shook as he asked.

"You look just like him – your father I mean."

Draco swallowed as he tried to gather himself slightly, to make himself look less nervous than he actually felt. His father had taught him to never show when your nervous to a potential threat, but everything about his expression and body language screamed fear as he stood and waited for the Azkaban escapee to reveal his intent.

"I'm not going to hurt you Draco, you can relax." Despite knowing nothing but bad things about the man in front of him, something about the way he spoke immediately settled Draco's prickling nerves.

"Your father and I, we never got along. I even advised your mother against marrying him at one point. But of course - women in the Black family are not one to be told what to do. My _dear _cousin Bella is a prime example of that." Sirius spoke to Draco as though he had known him for years, as though they weren't strangers meeting for the first time, as though he was his close family as apposed to an estranged cousin that had been removed from the Black family tree.

"Even your Aunt Andromeda, she's a fiery one. She wasn't for being dictated on how to live her life." He chuckled at the mention of his favourite cousin, it was clear to Draco Sirius cared very little for Bellatrix Lestrange. Draco remained confused as he listened to what he could only think where the ramblings of a mad man.

"I may not like your father, his views, his belief system. But you are family Draco and I can see that you're different to him, to them. You don't share the same beliefs, otherwise you wouldn't be friends with Miss Granger."

Draco's eyes widened at the mention of Hermione's name. Once Hermione had told him that Fred Weasley had discovered their secret friendship, for a moment he was concerned their secret was out. It was the friendship that she held with Fred that allowed for that fear to fizzle out, he had grown confident that Fred wouldn't want to do anything to intentionally hurt her.

Sirius on the other hand, was different. He held no loyalties to Hermione, he had no reason to spare her the pain of Harry and Ron finding out, or Draco should his father discover his friendship with her, a Muggle born.

"Am I Wrong?" Sirius asked.

"No. I'm not like my father. He wants me to be, he's trying to make it that way, but I don't think or feel the way he does. I used to, but then I met Hermione…"

"And you began to realise that blood prejudice was bullshit."

"Something like that. I still don't understand. I grew up to believe that they didn't deserve their magic, that they stole it from our kind."

"There is no _our kind_ Draco, that's the point. You either have magic of you don't. You don't deserve your magic any more than Muggleborn's. You should feel blessed to have any magic at all, you could've just as easily been born a squib." Sirius turned to face Buckbeak who had stopped pruning himself and was watching the exchanging of words between the men before him. For a moment Sirius wandered whether the Hippogriff understood what they were talking about, before his mind quickly switched back to their current topic of conversation.

"I used to be like you. I was born and raised in a pure blood family, then I came to Hogwarts and met some of the best people I would ever meet, my best friends, some of which were Muggleborn's and Half Bloods. I soon realised that everything I had been taught as a child regarding blood status was just some misguided belief that somehow hadn't managed to die out."

Sirius sighed and turned back to Draco, he had stayed longer than he had planned to and was putting himself in further danger of being caught the longer he remained out in the open and spoke to his cousin, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. From the sky as he rode the Hippogriff, he saw a glint of reflection from the moon against Draco's hair, he wasn't sure of when he would get another opportunity to speak to him, and so he had to approach him.

"I can't stay. It's not safe here for me."

"Did you do it?" Draco asked. The surprise on Draco's face was almost matched by Sirius as he held his breath and waited for a response to a question Sirius never thought he would be asked.

"No." Was all Sirius said before he climbed on top of Buckbeak, rising in the air and preparing to take off once more into the night sky.

"We are family Draco, and because of that I feel almost responsible for you in a way. If I know your father, and I do, you're heading down a dangerous path. I only stopped to warn you that your friendship with Miss Granger needs to be thought about carefully. She is a nice girl with a big heart and a lot to give. If you hurt her in any way, which you are more capable of than you may even realise, you will regret it for the rest of your days." Sirius finished, he applied pressure from his right food against the side of Buckbeak and they both took off into the air, leaving Draco alone once more.

~X~

"So after all these years, it was Peter Pettigrew, who's been masquerading as a rat?" Draco asked Hermione as she shovelled fork after fork of Cottage Pie into her mouth, completely ravished from her day's adventure. Draco looked at her as though she was insane, when really, he knew that everything she was telling him was completely plausible.

He'd seen the transformation of an Animagus with his own eyes in first year when Professor McGonagall changed into a tabby cat to wait patiently for her late students to arrive to class. He'd witnessed first hand how aggressive the Whomping Willow could be when he tried to investigate the hole in the trunk in second year, his curiosity nearly getting the better of him when the tree nearly hit him. He had also overheard Hermione and Harry pleading for the redemption of Sirius black just a few moments before he spoke to him directly, which could only have happened if what Hermione had just told him was true.

"You need to stop with these crazy adventures Hermione, they seem to get worse each year. Devils Snare and Life-sized Wizarding chess in first year. Deadly snakes and Polyjuice potions gone wrong in second and now time travel, dementors and Azkaban escapees in third. What's next? The Dark Lord himself?"

Hermione almost choked on her drink as she looked over the rim of her cup at him, as though the suggestion wasn't so outrageous to believe.

"I spoke to him y'know." Draco added, changing the subject away from something so dark as Voldemort. Hermione's eyes remained fixated on her food as she neared the end of her meal.

"Sirius, that is." He added, causing Hermione to stop eating completely and raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"I think he must've seen us together at some point, maybe when we were by the woods the other night whilst he was trying to lay low."

"What did he want? What did he say? Is he still ok and safe?"

"He's fine Hermione, don't worry. He flew off on that great big pigeon." Draco assured her, his description of Buckbeak made her eyebrows crease together and the corner of her mouth pull tightly to one side in a disapproving look.

"From what I gather, he wanted to warn me. He doesn't want me to end up like my Father. He want's me to be my own person. He's a fan of you though, there was a definite warning in there to keep you safe. I think he might _actually _commit murder if I hurt you in any way, that's for sure."

Hermione chuckled, putting down her fork before she crossed her arms and looked over at him with a softer face than she had moments ago.

"I can't imagine you'll ever hurt me, Draco."

"Not intentionally." He said with a glum tone.

Hermione rose from her seat and walked towards him, holding out her hands for him to take and gesturing for him to stand up. Once risen, he towered over her, their bodies inches from touching as she held his hands.

"I know that _you_ will never hurt me. Any pain that you refer to will not be caused by you, it will not be your fault. So stop worrying. It's times like these when I'm just happy to be alive and have the people I do in my life."

Draco smiled down at her as she pulled herself into him, wrapping her arms around his waste and tightening her grip as she hugged him. His body relaxed into hers whilst he rested his chin on top of her head, the smell of her apple shampoo invading his nose.

"I can't stay for long. I told Harry that I wouldn't be long, he will only worry after everything that's happened if I don't return." Draco scowled at her words, more so when he could feel her grip loosening.

She pulled away from him slightly, gazing up at his face. She didn't want to leave as much as he didn't want her too. It had felt like a life time ago since their first kiss in the supply cupboard, neither one knew where that left them, Hermione felt in her young heart that this was the be all and end all, but a small part of her felt foolish for thinking that way.

Draco looked down at her for a moment, staring into her roast chestnut coloured eyes, admiring the lust for adventure that still glistened in the corners. He pulled his right hand up to her face and cupped her cheek, using his thumb to stroke against a small cut just below her left eye.

He moved his hand slowly, lightly traveling down her face before he curled his index finger below her chin and used it turn her face up further towards him. He leaned in slowly towards her, almost hesitant that she might pull away and change her mind, the moment her eyes closed, a silent confirmation, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers.

This kiss was different to their last, softer and more confident. Neither one had to worry about first kiss jitters, neither one had to be concerned they would get caught. Draco moved his lips slowly against hers, pushing them open just a enough to taste the pumpkin juice on her breath. Hermione felt her heart race against her chest as she instinctively raised herself further on her tip toes, pushing herself deeper into the kiss.

Draco used his right arm around her waist to draw her in closer, almost as quickly as he had pulled her in, he felt himself pushing her away as his mind became clouded and he felt his blood pump coursing through his entire body, rising in his cheeks and causing his thoughts to drift off else where.

Pulling away softly, Draco put some distance between them, still keeping his arm around her and his hand under her chin. He calmed his breathing down and noticed Hermione's eyes remained closed for a few moments after he had pulled away, for which he was grateful for as he could feel the heat still on his cheeks.

Draco moved quickly to the table beside where they had been stood together and took a seat. He crossed one leg over the other and poured himself a glass of water, cursing his hormonal body for acting the way it did.

Hermione finally opened here eyes and twisted her body around to face Draco, a hint of pink still rested on his cheeks as he looked into his goblet.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Hermione said softly, unable to keep the smile from her face.

Draco's eyes danced up towards hers before he smiled back and nodded, watching as she left the room still in a daze. He remained seated for a few more moments for his heart rate to return to a steady pace before he left for his own common room.

~X~

"I just can't believe it." Ginny repeated, shaking her head slowly as she stared aimlessly into the fire place in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"It is a difficult one to wrap your head around. Dementors, falsely accused Azkaban escapees, rat's that are really people, aiding and abetting." Harry responded, gaining a grunt of approval from Ron who was now discharged from the hospital and sitting with his injured leg up across the sofa.

"No, not that – I can't believe you had a necklace that allowed you to travel back in time and not only did you _not tell me_ but you used it to do _more _studying!" Ginny looked at Hermione disapprovingly. Harry smirked from his seat on the floor beside Ginny, watching as Hermione stuttered through her explanation.

"Happy to see you're feeling betty, Ronny." George announced as he gave Ron's injured leg a pat, casing him to wince slightly.

"It all makes sense now though," Fred began.

"All those times-"

"A fella called Peter being beside you constantly-"

"Everywhere you go-"

"Even beside your bed-"

"The map never lies-"

"And you never once questioned it?!" Ron said embarrassed and annoyed with his brothers.

George shrugged and smirked at Ron, whilst Fred moved to place a hand on his younger brothers shoulder.

"Who are we to question your close and personal friendships." Fred said, pretending to sound sincere.

"We didn't want to Judge." George added.

"You thought I was gay?! Ron stuttered, his face quickly turning the shade of the drapes surrounding the Gryffindor common room. His eyes shifted nervously, between his brothers and his friends, he quickly noticed the smirk forming on Harry's lips as Seamus raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Would there be something wrong with that?" He asked, causing Ron to blush even further.

"No, no! Its not that at all! That's not what I mean, that would be fine – not that I am – not that that's a problem – I just mean that I'm not – but its fine if someone else is -" Ron stuttered over his words, panic ridden as he tried to explain himself, feeling like he'd dug himself too deep into a hole.

The group around him erupted with laughter as they watched him squirm over his words, he threw his head into his hands and hid his face, groaning as his friends continued their laughter.

Hemiones cheeks started to ache along with her belly from all of the laughter she was doing. She turned to Harry and wiped away tears from her eyes, Harry pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he gathered himself and finally stopped laughing at his friend, rolling his eyes at Hermione who was shaking her head.

"He wont live this down for a long time." He said quietly to her, she nodded in agreement, letting out one last sigh before she too managed to steady herself.

~X~

"You look troubled Draco, what's going on inside that gloomy head of yours?"

"Not a great deal, Theodore." Draco said with an exasperated expression.

The pair sat in the Slytherin common room in front of the lit fire, everyone else had already retired for the evening when Draco decided to stay up longer mulling over everything Hermione had told him a few hours ago. Theo had noticed this and waited for everyone to fall asleep before he came back outside to join his friend, now sitting on the armchair opposite him, fighting back a yawn.

"I heard Sirius black has escaped, _again_." Theo began, "I reckon by the look on your face, the Gryffindor saints had something to do with it."

"Hmm." Draco hummed absentmindedly.

"Every year, something dramatic happens which causes them to end up in the hospital wing, and every year around that time, you look like the world is falling apart around you."

"Hmm."

"Are you actually listening of just making noises until I shut up?" Theo laughed, Draco turned to his friend with a smirk on his lips, guilty as charged.

"What's next then? He's escaped, suspected supporter of You-Know-Who, something tells me this adds a little something to the pot that is brewing to get him back."

"He wasn't a supporter of the Dark Lord, he was a falsely accused supporter. Someone else ratted on the Potters, but it wasn't him." Draco laughed through his nose at the choice of his own words.

"Who?"

"Weasleys pet rat. He's an Animagus and has been in hiding for the past 12 years. Black found him and outed him, apparently, he got away though, so I agree. This will add something to the mix."

"His pet rat!? That scraggley thing he carries around with him all day, and probably sleeps with, that was a person?" Theo was on the brink of breaking out into laughter, sat on the edge of his seat, until Draco nodded and tipped him over the edge, the pair couldn't contain themselves at the idea of Ron sleeping innocently next to a rat that was a fully grown man in hiding.

"This pleases me greatly, I can see Weasleys mortified face now." Theo chuckled a little more before steadying himself and getting back on topic. "Who was he, did he know the Potters?"

"He was the same as Black, a childhood friend. One of their closest friends."

"Wow… It takes a certain kind of person to give up their friends to someone who is indefinitely going to murder them."

"That kind of person may know the missing piece to the Death Eaters ramblings, he may be able to figure out what they need to do to bring him back."

The pair sat in silence for a moment whilst gazing into the fire, completely lost in thoughts of how the world would be should Voldemort return. A shiver at the idea brought Theo back into focus and he turned once more to Draco.

"I don't want it to happen, like, I _really _don't want it to happen. My mother will _insist _on me joining, for a start I'm far to young – I also do not have the same belief system as those twisted Death Munchers, It can't happen-"

"Theo calm down." Draco interrupted when he realised his friend was getting into a frenzy at the idea. Theo leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, taking deep breaths with his eyes closed.

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Who knows, this rat might turn up at fathers, or any other one of the Death Eaters houses and they might kill him on the spot for hiding for the past 12 years. I don't think we should condemn ourselves to a life of misery just yet." He gave a soft, reassuring smile to his friend, not something Theo had seen very often for as long as he had known him.

"Nearly the end of another year." Draco said, changing the subject.

"Each year just makes me wander what next years drama is going to be."

"I'm hoping for a quiet year!"

"Nooo, that would be boring, we need _something _to happen at least, just not the return of You-Know-Who. Next year will be a good year, I can feel it in my bones."

"Alright Mr optimistic, a few moments ago you were ready to jump off the astronomy tower."

"And now," Theo said between a yawn as he stretched and stood up from his chair, "I'm going to go to bed, good night Drakey." He said before heading to the dorm room, dodging the cushion Draco has through his way for the use of his least favourite nickname.

Draco sat beside the now dimly lit fire, mulling over what he had discussed with his friend. Theo had been right, something was going to come of Peter Pettigrew being back, and what ever it was, it wasn't going to be a good thing. In fact, there was a part of him that believed Pettigrew to be the missing link, just what the Death Eaters needed for their plan to unfold, he had knowledge they needed.

With a shiver that travelled through his body, he too stood and headed to bed. In his mind he wandered how his evening had gone from kissing Hermione in their room, being embarrassed through the lack on control of his bodily functions, to wandering if Voldemort was going to return.

Yet another summer holidays he wasn't looking forward to.

**Author Notes**

Sorry its been so long guys! Moving was a lot more stressful than I anticipated. Hope you're still enjoying it, but can we just take a moment to just process the fact that WE ARE FINALLY HEADING INTO FOURTH YEAR! I've been super excited to write fourth year, just for all of the obvious reasons! Any feedback is welcome and appreciated!


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